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

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

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