One of the 15 lizards on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Lacertidae
Tenerife Lizard
Gallotia galloti
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The Tenerife lizard is the commonest lizard on Tenerife and La Gomera, endemic to those islands. Adult males are dark with bright blue spots on the flanks and can exceed forty centimetres. It is omnivorous and eats a great deal of fruit, which makes it an important seed disperser on islands where there are no native fruit-eating mammals.
Weight
80 g – 200 g
Size
25 cm – 45 cm
Lifespan
10 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
- It is a key seed disperser in the Canaries: on islands with no native fruit-eating mammals, the lizards do that job, and several endemic plants depend on them to spread.
- Adult males develop intense blue spots on the flanks and a disproportionately large head, and the differences between the populations of northern and southern Tenerife are so marked that separate subspecies are recognised.
- The genus Gallotia is endemic to the Canaries and includes giant species that reached a metre long and that became extinct after people arrived; those that survive, such as the El Hierro giant lizard, are critically endangered.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Malpaís badlands, scrub, farmland, laurel forest and gardens of Tenerife and La Gomera
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 60 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 8 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallotia_galloti
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 Tenerife Lizard — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Large Psammodromus
Psammodromus algirus
Viviparous Lizard
Zootoca vivipara
Western Green Lizard
Lacerta bilineata
Common Wall Lizard
Podarcis muralis
Moroccan Rock Lizard
Scelarcis perspicillata
Atlantic Lizard
Gallotia atlantica
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