Gran Canaria giant lizard
Gran Canaria giant lizard | |
---|---|
On Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Lacertidae |
Genus: | Gallotia |
Species: | G. stehlini |
Binomial name | |
Gallotia stehlini (Schenkel, 1901) | |
Synonyms[2] | |
The Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae.
Etymology
The specific name, stehlini, is in honor of Swiss paleontologist Hans Georg Stehlin, who collected the holotype.[3]
Description
Gallotia stehlini grows to a total length (including tail) of up to 80 cm (31 in). They are among one of the largest reptiles within the family lacertidae. The species comes in a variation of grays, browns and reddish hues. Unlike their female counterparts, males exhibit sizable jowls, robust heads and overall greater body mass.
Gallotia stehlini is a true omnivore. The young often consuming various invertebrates, vegetation and soft fruits. As they mature, their diet largely consists of plant matter.
Geographic range
G. stehlini is endemic to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands of Spain but it has been introduced to Fuerteventura.[1]
Habitat
The natural habitats of G. stehlini are temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, and pastureland.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Jose Antonio Mateo Miras; Valentin Pérez-Mellado & Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Gallotia stehlini". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T61506A12494509. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- ↑ "Gallotia stehlini ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Gallotia stehlini, p. 252).
Further reading
- Hernández, Efraín; Nogales, Manuel; Martín, Aurelio (2000). "Discovery of a New Lizard in the Canary Islands, with a Multivariate Analysis of Gallotia (Reptilia: Lacertidae)". Herpetologica 56 (1): 63-76.
- 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).