#CanaryIslands

La Palma stick grasshopper (𝘈𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘦𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘦)

May 9, 2021
2 min

La Palma stick grasshopper (𝘈𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘦𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘦)

Scientific name: Acrostira euphorbiae Family: Pamphagidae Length: 67-71 mm (♀) and 30-31 mm (♂) Distribution: La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain Habitat: Scrubland of Euphorbia lamarckii, 40-680 m a.s.l. Origin category: Endemic Conservation status: Critically Endangered (CR) The La Palma stick grasshopper (Acrostira euphorbiae) is a large, highly specialized grasshopper endemic to the small island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain). It is considered one of the rarest insects i

Paleoconéctate: Congress of Paleontology

Carlos Vermeersch

Mar 28, 2019
9 min

Palaeontology

Paleoconéctate: Congress of Paleontology

The poster of Paleoconéctate. Slide for details. All illustrations and photos are created by myself, unless noted otherwise. Design and diagrams are own work. On March 28th 2019 was the first congress of the paleontology project “Paleoconéctate”, which was held at the Faculty of Journalism in the University of La Laguna. The investigation group is integrated by paleontologists Dr. Carolina Castillo Ruiz –the president of the act– and Penélope Cruzado Caballero –the secretary

Prehistory and history of the Canary Islands

Carlos Vermeersch

Mar 23, 2018
16 min

Archaeology

Prehistory and history of the Canary Islands

"Some people think that beyond the islands of Mauretania lie the Isles of Bliss (Canaries), and also some others of which Sebosus before mentioned gives not only the number but also the distances, reporting that Junonia (La Palma) is 750 miles from Gades (Cádiz), and that Pluvialia (El Hierro) and Capraria (La Gomera) are the same distance west from Junonia; that in Pluvialia there is no water except what is supplied by rain; that the Isles of Bliss are 250 miles WNW from the

Carlos Vermeersch

Jan 27, 2018
3 min

Cory's Shearwater

Cory’s shearwater is a migratory bird, almost completely pelagic (feeding in the open ocean), of a brownish-grey color with white underparts, save for the pattern of the underwing. It possesses pink legs and a notorious yellow bill. It used to be conspecific with Scopoli’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) but it reaches a greater size, becoming one of the largest marine birds of the Canary Islands. It’s an excellent glider and only flutters its wings in absence of wind. This

Extinct giant lizards of the Canary Islands: 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘩 & 𝘎. 𝘢𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘦

Carlos Vermeersch

Jan 16, 2018
6 min

Biology

Extinct giant lizards of the Canary Islands: 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘩 & 𝘎. 𝘢𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘦

Scientific name: Gallotia goliath & G. auaritae Family: Lacertidae Snouth-to-vent length: 40-50 cm Total length: 120-150 cm Distribution: Tenerife, La Palma (respectively) Habitat: Xerophytic vegetation and thermophilous forests up to 900 m a.s.l. Origin category: Endemic species Conservation status: Extinct The genus Gallotia is endemic to the Canary Islands, and it belongs to the subfamily Gallotiinae, the sister taxon of Lacertinae. This subfamily only has two genera, Gall

Carlos Vermeersch

Jan 14, 2018
2 min

Biology

Western Canaries Lizard

The genus Gallotia is entirely endemic to the Canary Islands and it includes the Western Canaries lizard (Gallotia galloti). It is believed it appeared shortly after the emersion of the first islands of the archipelago 20 million years ago. The ancestors of the Western Canaries lizard then arrived 10 million years ago to the occidental islands, of a more recent origin. Consequently, this species belongs to the younger lineage of the genus. Four subspecies have been recognized

Carlos Vermeersch

Jan 13, 2018
1 min

Biology

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

The Canary Islands lie in the marine current of the same name and marks the southern end of the cold waters of the North Atlantic, which is why we can find animals from both cold and tropical seas. This makes the archipelago one of the places in Europe with the highest diversity of cetaceans, with at least 29 different species. One of the odontocetes –toothed whales– from the Canaries is the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis), owing its name to the many spots adult

Carlos Vermeersch

Jan 11, 2018
2 min

Biology

Canarian Centipede

In the pine tree and laurel forests of the Canary Islands lives the animal that holds the title of largest terrestrial arthropod of the archipelago, Scolopendra valida. It is also present in Northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indomalayan Region. It attains 15 cm (6 in). It is reddish brown in color with a green hue, and has 21 to 23 pairs of yellow legs. It possesses orange legs that correspond to the last pairs of legs, which is enlarged and used as reargard, and

Carlos Vermeersch

Jan 9, 2018
1 min

Biology

Southern Grey Shrike

The southern grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis) is a passeriform distributed throughout the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, the Sahel, the Middle East and South Asia, and it is present in the central and Eastern Canaries. It’s similar to its parapatric relative –of different but adjacent distribution– the northern grey shrike (L. excubitor), that inhabits wooded grasslands, unlike the southern shrike that prefers arid shrublands. Both are known as grey shrikes. It possesses a

Carlos Vermeersch

Jan 5, 2018
2 min

Biology

El Hierro giant lizard

The genus Gallotia, endemic to the Canary Islands, contains one of the largest lacertids of the world. It appeared shortly after the emersion of the first islands 20 million years ago, and the last common ancestor of the giant lizards of the Canary Islands expanded 3 million years ago to La Gomera and the three islands that existed prior to the formation of Tenerife (Roque del Conde, Teno and Anaga). Finally, from La Gomera it colonized El Hierro 850 thousand years ago, diffe

Carlos Vermeersch

May 10, 2017
1 min

Biology

Teide Tiger Spider

The Teide National Park is located in the heart of the island of Tenerife, which comprises the stratovolcano of the same name and the enormous volcanic caldera of Las Cañadas that surrounds it. The harsh and extreme climate of the park creates an environment that favors speciation. The arachnids are the most well represented invertebrates of the park: of the 101 species present, 70 are endemic and 22 are exclusive of the park. The Teide tiger spider is included in this last g

Carlos Vermeersch

May 8, 2017
1 min

Biology

Northern Raven

The northern raven (Corvus corax) stands out among other birds because of its unequalled intelligence, adaptability and captivating personality. For this reason it has inspired legends around the world through the centuries, being considered a spiritual figure in various mythologies portrayed in very different ways, from an ill omen to the creator of the world. Its features allowed it to conquer much of the Northern Hemisphere, which makes it the most widely distributed corvi

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