La Palma giant lizard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids La Palma giant lizard |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Gallotia
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| Species: |
auaritae
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| Synonyms | |
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The La Palma giant lizard (Gallotia auaritae) is a very large lizard. It used to live on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its home stretched from the ocean up to mountains 800 meters high.
Scientists believe it lived in dry, sunny places. They also think it was a species that laid eggs.
For a long time, people thought this lizard was extinct. This means it was believed to have died out completely. However, in 2007, some people saw a large lizard. They even took photos! These sightings might mean the La Palma giant lizard is still alive. But scientists are not yet fully sure.
Discovering the La Palma Giant Lizard
Scientists first learned about this giant lizard by studying old fossils and bones. They originally thought it was a type of subspecies of the El Hierro giant lizard. Later, they decided it was a completely separate species.
Some old lizard bones from La Palma were thought to be from another giant lizard. This lizard was called Gallotia goliath. But now, scientists think these bones actually belong to the La Palma giant lizard. If this is true, it means these lizards used to be even bigger! Their size might have gotten smaller over time. This could be because humans preferred to hunt the larger lizards.
The La Palma giant lizard seen recently was about 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) long. Scientists estimated it was around four years old. New trips to the area are planned. Scientists hope to find more of these lizards. They also hope to find a group that is reproducing.
Scientists have not yet been able to study a living lizard. The old bones they have do not give enough information. So, it is hard to know exactly how this lizard is related to other giant Gallotia species. It probably belongs to the same family group as other giant lizards from the western islands. But its exact relationship to the El Hierro giant lizard is still being checked.
Why the La Palma Giant Lizard is Rare
The decline of this lizard might have started 2,000 years ago. This was when humans first arrived on La Palma. Until the recent sightings, people thought it had become extinct in the last 500 years.
The main reasons for its believed extinction were:
- Cats brought by humans.
- Being hunted and eaten by the original human population of the Canary Islands.
- Loss of its habitat (home) due to land being used for agriculture.
The La Palma giant lizard is not the only lizard from the Canary Islands thought to be extinct. Other giant lizards were also rediscovered later. For example, the El Hierro giant lizard was found again in 1974. The La Gomera giant lizard was rediscovered in 1999. A slightly smaller lizard, the Tenerife speckled lizard, was first discovered in 1996.
Right now, no living La Palma giant lizard has been caught. If any population still exists, scientists believe it is very, very small.
See also
In Spanish: Lagarto gigante para niños
