Thursday, April 23, 2009

Giant Lizards

giant


El Hierro has a unique species of giant lizard, Gallotia simonyi. They're about 60 cm long, although most of that is tail. That makes them about the size of an iguana.

La Gomera also has its own species of giant lizard, (Gallotia bravoana) as does Tenerife (Gallotia galloti) and Gran Canaria (Gallotia stehlini). They're 60 cm - 40 cm long, and they're all in the Lacertidae family. A different species was recently discovered on La Palma, but the location's a secret (which is probably wise) and they're only 30 cm long.

On the other hand, you can go and see the ones on El Hierro. There's a breeding station and museum open at Guinea. It's on the main road from La Peña to La Frontera, signposted "El Lagartario"

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