Gran Canaria giant lizard explained

The Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is found in the Canary Islands.

Etymology

The specific name, stehlini, is in honor of Swiss paleontologist Hans Georg Stehlin, who collected the holotype.^[1]

Description

G. stehlini grows to a total length (including tail) of up to 80cm (30inches). It is among the largest reptiles within the family Lacertidae. The species comes in a variety of grays, browns, and reddish hues. Unlike their female counterparts, males exhibit sizable jowls, robust heads and overall greater body mass.

Diet

G. stehlini is a true omnivore. The young often consume various invertebrates, vegetation and soft fruits. As they mature, their diet largely consists of plant matter.^{[2] [3]}

Geographic range

G. stehlini is endemic to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands of Spain but it has been introduced to Fuerteventura.

Habitat

The natural habitats of G. stehlini are temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, and pastureland, at altitudes from sea level to 1850m (6,070feet).

Reproduction

G. stehlini is oviparous.

Further reading

• Cox, Siobhan C.; Carranza, Salvador; Brown, Richard P. (2010). "Divergence times and colonization of the Canary Islands by Gallotia lizards". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56 (2): 747–757. (corrigendum in 56: 1136).
• Hernández. E.. Nogales. M.. Martín. A.. Discovery of a New Lizard in the Canary Islands, with a Multivariate Analysis of Gallotia (Reptilia: Lacertidae). Herpetologica. 56. 1. March 2000. 63–76 . 3893128.
• Schenkel, Ehrenfried (1901). "Achter Nachtrag zum Katalog der herpetologischen Sammlung des Basler Museums ". Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 13: 142–199. (Lacerta galloti var. stehlini, new variation, p. 187). (in German).
• Sindaco, Roberto; Jeremčenko, Valery K. (2008). The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. (Monographs of the Societas Herpetologica Italica). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. .

Notes and References

1. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Gallotia stehlini, p. 252).
2. Molina-Borja, Miguel. (1986). Notes on the diet of Gallotia stehlini (Fam. Lacertidae) as obtained from behaviour observations. Vieraea. 16. 23-26.
3. Carretero, Miguel & Roca, Vicente & Martín, Juan & Llorente, Gustavo & Montori, Albert & Santos, Xavier & Mateos, Judit. (2006). Diet and helminth parasites in the Gran Canaria giant lizard, Gallotia stehlini. Revista Española de Herpetología. 20. 105-117.