One of the 15 lizards on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Lacertidae
Atlantic Lizard
Gallotia atlantica
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The Atlantic lizard is the lacertid of the eastern islands of the Canary archipelago: Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Graciosa and the Chinijo islets. It is small, brown and speckled, and shows notable variation from island to island. Like the rest of the Gallotia lizards it is omnivorous and plays an important part in dispersing the seeds of Canarian scrub.
Weight
15 g – 40 g
Size
12 cm – 20 cm
Lifespan
8 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- Each islet of the Chinijo archipelago holds its own form, with differences of size and colour between populations separated by a few hundred metres of sea.
- It is a pollinator and seed disperser of the Canarian scrub: it visits flowers to eat nectar and pollen, and carries pollen between plants, an ecological role that is remarkable for a reptile and that in the Canaries is essential.
- It lives alongside the Barbary ground squirrel introduced on Fuerteventura, and several studies point to competition between the two species for the same plant resources.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Malpaís badlands, sand fields, coastal scrub and farmland of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and their islets
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 55 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 4 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallotia_atlantica
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Atlantic Lizard — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Moroccan Rock Lizard
Scelarcis perspicillata
Tenerife Lizard
Gallotia galloti
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellis
Tenerife Wall Gecko
Tarentola delalandii
Lilford's Wall Lizard
Podarcis lilfordi
Marbled Rock Crab
Pachygrapsus marmoratus
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