Endemic Animals of Spain

Gallotia galloti (Gallot's lizard, Tenerife lizard, or Western Canaries lizard) is a species of lacertid (wall lizard) in the genus Gallotia. The species is found on the Canary Islands of Tenerife and La Palma.Both the generic name, Gallotia, and the specific name, galloti, are in honor of D. Gallot, an amateur naturalist, who collected the type specimen.Four subspecies are recognized:Gallotia galloti eisentrauti - Northern Tenerife lizard ...
(northern Tenerife)Gallotia galloti galloti - Southern Tenerife lizard (central and southern Tenerife, including Teide)Gallotia galloti insulanagae - Anaga lizard (Roque de Fuera de Anaga, offshore the Macizo de Anaga mountains, northeastern Tenerife)Gallotia galloti palmae - La Palma lizard (La Palma)The large differences in colour pattern in adult males seems to have been the basis for the recognition of the Northern and Southern "subspecies". The northern form is found at low-mid altitudes on the north-facing slopes, while the southern form is found above the pine forest on the north facing slopes and the southern slopes of Tenerife. A recent genomics study has identified nuclear DNA differences between these regions, although they only seem to be found in small number of loci.Its closest relative is the smaller Boettger's lizard, which occurs on El Hierro and La Gomera (Maca-Meyer et al. 2003). G. galloti is a sizeable lizard, though with strong males reaching up to 15.7 inches (including tail) it still belongs to the smaller Gallotia as the giant species can reach up to double that length.Unlike most larger species of its genus, the Western Canaries lizard as a whole is a common animal. As it likes to eat ripe fruit, it can even become a nuisance in vineyards and orchards and is thus occasionally trapped or poisoned. Local populations thus may decline, but no subspecies currently are endangered. Due to its small area of occurrence, G. g. insulanagae is considered a vulnerable taxon, but it seems safe at present as its habitat is fairly inaccessible and included in the Parque Rural de Anaga (Blanco & González 1992).The striking color of adult males and their curious nature endear them to many tourists. At popular sights, notably Mount Teide, the lizards have become rather tame and an attraction of sorts themselves. It is quite popular to bring some ripe bananas along for the lizards, which are a most favorite food of this species and will provide travellers with good photo opportunities as the animals scurry over the rocks and even onto visitor's hands to catch a bite. Less

The El Hierro giant lizard (Gallotia simonyi machadoi ) is a subspecies of lacertid (wall lizard) that can be found on the island of El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands. It is considered to be a subspecies of Gallotia simonyi, Simony's lizard. The subspecies was once present throughout much of the island and on the small offshore Roque Chico de Salmor , but is now confined to a few small areas of cliff with sparse vegetation. It is currently ...
restricted to the southern end of the Risco de Tibataje in Fuga de Gorreta , located between Guinea and the so-called Paso del Pino (an area of about four hectares). The species was also successfully reintroduced to the Roque Chico de Salmor in 1999, and subsequent reintroductions have taken place at Julan and at la Dehesa.(Miras & Pérez-Mellado 2005b)About 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) long, the Hierro giant lizard is a thickset reptile with a broad head. Adults are dark grey to brown in colour, with two rows of pale orange patches running along its sides. Its belly is mostly brown, but has an orange to red colouration towards the middle. Older El Hierro giant lizards are mainly black with some grey. Males are larger than females. It is the animal symbol of the island of El Hierro.The Hierro giant lizard is omnivorous. It eats plants - notably verode and Lavandula abrotanoides - as well as insects (ARKive 2006). Mating begins in May and 5 to 13 eggs are laid from June until the end of August. Their eggs hatch after 61 days. Less

The Ibiza wall lizard (Podarcis pityusensis ) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is most closely associated with the island of Eivissa, or Ibiza, in the Balearic Islands, but has become naturalized in parts of Spain.A subspecies, P. pityusensis formenterae, is limited in natural habitat to the islands of Formentera, Illa Conillera and Es Vedrà, south of Ibiza, but has been transported by humans to several other locations in the ...
Mediterranean. The Formentean subspecies tends to be more brightly coloured than its Ibizan and mainland con-specifics.The natural habitats of P. pityusensis are temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas. Less

The Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is found in the Canary Islands. Less

The Tenerife blue chaffinch (Fringilla teydea ) is a species of passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. This bird is the natural symbol of this island, together with the Canary Islands dragon tree. Less

The western Canary Islands chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis canariensis ) is a small bird in the family Phylloscopidae. It is a subspecies of the Canary Islands chiffchaff found on the islands of El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, Spain.Both the western and the now extinct eastern (Phylloscopus canariensis exsul ) subspecies of the Canary Islands chiffchaff were formerly considered subspecies of ...
the common chiffchaff but were separated (Clement & Helbig, 1998; Sangster et al., 2001) due to their morphological, bioacoustical, and mtDNA sequence differences (Helbig et al., 1996). Less

The laurel pigeon or white-tailed laurel pigeon (Paloma rabiche ) (Columba junoniae ) is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). It is endemic to the Canary Islands, Spain, and resides in laurel forest habitat. It is the animal symbol of the island of La Gomera. Less

Bolle's pigeon (Columba bollii ) is a species of the genus Columba of family Columbidae, doves and pigeons, endemic to the Canary Islands, Spain. This bird is named after the German naturalist Carl Bolle, who was the first to distinguish it from the laurel pigeon. This wood pigeon is endemic to the laurel forest habitat. Less

The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki ) is a species of passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to Gran Canaria in Spain's Canary Islands. Less

The Canary Islands quail (Coturnix gomerae ) is an extinct quail species that once occurred on the islands of El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain). Less

The Canary Islands chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis ) is a species of leaf warbler endemic to the Canary Islands, Spain. Sometimes the English name is spelled Canary Island chiffchaff. Less

The Ibiza rail (Rallus eivissensis ) is a recently discovered fossil species of rail, described from a late Pleistocene to Holocene cave deposit at Es Pouàs, on the island of Ibiza. Ibiza is in the Pityuses group of the Spanish Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The Ibiza rail was a relative of the extant water rail (Rallus aquaticus ) and may be derived from it, but was a bit smaller and stouter, had shorter and more robust hind limbs ...
and shorter wings, with probably reduced its flight capability. Consequently, it might have also occurred on neighbouring Formentera, where no possible locations have been surveyed.The extinction of this species was more recent than 16,700 years BC, probably roughly between 5,300 and 4,350 years BC. The latter dates broadly overlap a period of the possible arrival of humans at Ibiza, suggesting a relationship between the two events. The Ibiza rail is somewhat unusual insofar as that most extinct insular rails were completely flightless, whereas the Ibiza rail could still fly if it had to. However, it agrees in this respect with many species of rail still found on other continental islands worldwide, whereas most other forms were on oceanic islands.Nonetheless, as there were no terrestrial predators on Ibiza before the arrival of humans, it is probable that this species would ultimately have evolved to complete flightlessness and probably rather small size, which is a trend that seems to hold true for all species of rail which evolved on small islands without terrestrial predators. The paleoecology of the Pityuses group is peculiar because there were almost no mammals present and thus the trophic web in prehistoric times was more similar to the Hawaiian island of Moloka‘i than to Mallorca in the Baleares (Seguí & Alcover, 1999).While the islands may have provided more freshwater habitat due to better tree cover in the past, the Ibiza rail's habitat was probably brackish swamps in the coastal lowland. Extinction was most probably due to overhunting by the expanding human population. Most other extinct island rails which were unable to escape hunters due to flightlessness, but this species is more likely to have fallen victim to its small population size: Ibiza is not large, and available habitat was densely populated by various species of birds, which would leave little resources for a large population of any particular species. Thus, the Ibiza rail was likely to succumb to an amount of hunting which could have been tolerated by a larger population of island rails, flightless or not. Less

The Canarian houbara, Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae, is a large bird in the bustard family. It is a houbara bustard subspecies which is endemic to the eastern Canary archipelago, in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean, where it is a scarce and threatened non-migratory resident. It is the animal symbol of the island of Fuerteventura. Less

The lava shearwater (Puffinus olsoni ), or Olson's shearwater, was a species of shearwater that bred on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. It is known from fossil remains, and was only described in 1990. It was intermediate in size between the Manx shearwater and the little shearwater. The remains of the species are particularly common in lava fields.The species is thought to have survived the arrival of the first settlers in the ...
Canary Islands, and become extinct after the arrival of European settlers in the 15th century. It is suspected that the species became extinct due to hunting pressures and possibly the arrival of introduced species such as rats. Less

The Canary Islands stonechat (Saxicola dacotiae ), also known as the Fuerteventura stonechat or Fuerteventura chat, and formerly known as the Canary Islands chat due to its once widespread distribution on the Canary Islands, is a sedentary resident bird found only on the island of Fuerteventura where it is known as the Caldereta. Less

The eastern Canary Islands chiffchaff or Lanzarote Island chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis exsul ) is an extinct subspecies of the Canary Islands chiffchaff endemic to the island of Lanzarote – and possibly also Fuerteventura – in the Canary Islands, Spain.The eastern Canary Islands chiffchaff was more chestnut-backed and shorter-winged than the western Canary Islands chiffchaff, Phylloscopus canariensis canariensis. These birds were for ...
merly considered subspecies of the common chiffchaff but separated due to their morphological, bioacoustical, and mtDNA sequence differences.Apparently this subspecies was already very rare at the moment of its description. A number of specimens were collected at the beginning of the 20th century in the valleys of Haría (Lanzarote). There it could be observed in broom thickets in the high and fresh zones. Since then there are only some doubtful records. The presence of this subspecies in Fuerteventura is merely hypothetical, as no specimen was ever collected there, nor are there reliable records from that island.The cause of extinction is unknown. Perhaps its final disappearance is related to the destruction and/or transformation of the vegetation in the high zones of the Macizo de Famara. Less

Balearic warbler (Curruca balearica ) is a typical warbler, genus Curruca. It is endemic to the Balearic Islands, apart from Menorca. It groups with the Marmora's warbler, Tristram's warbler and the Dartford warbler (Helbig 2001, Jønsson & Fjeldså 2006).These are small, long tailed, large-headed birds, overall very similar to their close relatives in the Dartford warbler group. Balearic warblers are grey above and pale grey below, adding a p ...
inkish tinge. Adult males have darker patches on the forehead and between the eye and the pointed bill. The legs and iris are red.These small passerine birds are found in open country with thorny bushes and heather. 3-5 eggs are laid in a nest in a bush. Like most "warblers", they are insectivorous. Less

Puffinus nestori is an extinct seabird in the petrel family. Its fossil remains, dating from the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene, were found on the island of Ibiza of the Balearic archipelago in the western Mediterranean. It was speculated that it was the direct ancestor of the Mediterranean shearwater (now split into Balearic and yelkouan shearwaters). Less

Pterodromoides minoricensis is an extinct fulmarine petrel dating from the Late Miocene. Its fossil remains were found at the Punta Nati palaeontological site on the island of Menorca in the Balearic archipelago of the western Mediterranean. It was described in 2001, with the authors justifying the creation of a new genus by the large orbitonasal opening and characters of the postcranial skeleton, despite the similarity of the cranial osteology ...
to that of Pagodroma. The generic name derives from its resemblance to Pterodroma in shape and proportions. The specific epithet refers to the type locality. Less

The Majorcan midwife toad (Alytes muletensis ) (also Mallorcan midwife toad or ferreret in Balearic Catalan and Spanish) is a frog in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). It is endemic to the Balearic Island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea. An example of Lazarus taxon, the species was first described from fossil remains in 1977, but living animals were discovered in 1979.The species, considered "vulnerable" by the IUCN, is ...
currently restricted to isolated mountain rivers in the island's Serra de Tramuntana and has an estimated population of 500 breeding pairs in the wild. It does exist and reproduce easily in captivity, however. The Majorcan midwife toad is thought to have disappeared from most of the island as a result of the introduction of competitors and predators from the mainland in ancient times. Reintroduction of the species in additional areas has taken place since 1988, with many new breeding populations now well established. Less

The Betic midwife toad or Sapo Partero Bético (Alytes dickhilleni ) is a species of frog in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). It is endemic to mountainous in south eastern Spain. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, pastureland, ponds, and aquaculture ponds. It is threatened by habitat loss. Less

Lilford's wall lizard (Podarcis lilfordi ) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Balearic Islands, Spain.Its natural habitats are temperate Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, and rocky shores. Originally distributed throughout the Balearics, the introduction of alien species which started with the Romans has confined the species to the uninhabited islets around the major islands, on ...
almost each of which a local subspecies has evolved. It is threatened by habitat loss. Less

The La Gomera giant lizard (Gallotia bravoana ) is a lacertid (wall lizard) species that can be found on the island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands.It is easily distinguishable from any other member of Gallotia by the intense white colour that covers its neck, chest and area around the mouth, in spectacular contrast to its dark brown back. This lizard is generally diurnal and mostly herbivorous, and grows up to half a metre long (head ...
and body long). The females lay a single clutch annually of three to seven eggs on average. Its population trend has actually been increasing since 2001. Less

The East Canary gecko or Canary wall gecko (Tarentola angustimentalis ) is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. It is endemic to the eastern Canary Islands. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, sandy shores, intertidal marshes, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas. Less

The Tenerife speckled lizard (Gallotia intermedia ) is a recently discovered lacertid (wall lizard) endemic to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It is the smallest member of the clade containing the western islands' giant species.It was discovered in 1996 by biologist Efraín Hernández in the Macizo de Teno in the extreme northwest of Tenerife. Although it is believed that the species was once widespread throughout much of the island, nowadays it i ...
s only known from a small area of coastline in the extreme west of the island, and also from Montana de Guaza in the extreme south.The total number of animals in the northwestern distribution area is 500 (estimated in 2008), in 40 isolated populations along altogether 9 km of coastline. In the south, there are about 100 animals. The main threat to this lizard is predation by feral cats and, to a lesser degree, by rats. The lizards are increasing in number since the turn of the century as a result of control of introduced mammals. Less

The Tenerife gecko or Tenerife wall gecko (Tarentola delalandii ) is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. Less

The Ratas Island lizard, Podarcis lilfordi rodriquezi, is an extinct subspecies of Lilford's wall lizard that once lived on Ratas Island, a tiny, rocky island in the bay of Mahón, Menorca (Spain). But Ratas island, which was its habitat, was destroyed when Port Mahon was rebuilt. The last sign of this subspecies was in 1950 and is presumed extinct. Four specimens of this European lizard are conserved in museum collections. Less

The Gran Canaria skink (Chalcides sexlineatus ) is a species of skink in the family Scincidae which is endemic to Gran Canaria. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland, rocky areas, sandy shores, pastureland, and plantations. The adults measure 16 – 18 cm out of which the tail forms 50%. Their legs are tiny, slim, and have five fingers. They live solitarily and on ...
ly seek a partner during the mating season. They are ovoviviparous; females give birth to 2 - 4 babies after three months of pregnancy. They are kept as pets in vivariums. Less

Gallotia simonyi, also known as Simony's lizard, is a species of lacertid (wall lizard) that was found on many of the Canary Islands. The species was once present throughout much of the islands, but one of the two subspecies is extinct, while the other, the Roque Chico de Salmor giant lizard is now confined to a few small areas of cliff with sparse vegetation. It is currently restricted to the southern end of the Risco de Tibataje in la Fuga de ...
Gorreta, located between Guinea and the so-called Paso del Pino (an area of about four hectares). The species was also successfully reintroduced to the Roque Chico de Salmor in 1999, and subsequent reintroductions have taken place at Julan and at la Dehesa.(Miras & Pérez-Mellado 2005b)It is omnivorous. It eats plants – notably verode and Lavandula abrotanoides – as well as insects (ARKive 2006). Mating begins in May and 5 to 13 eggs are laid from June until the end of August. Their eggs hatch after 61 days. Less

The Fuerteventura skink (Chalcides simonyi ) is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. Less

The Gomero wall gecko or La Gomera gecko (Tarentola gomerensis ), also known as perenquén in the Canary Islands, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae.It is endemic to La Gomera.Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas. Less

Timon nevadensis, the Sierra Nevada lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is endemic to Spain. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the ocellated lizard. Less

The Atlantic lizard (Gallotia atlantica ) is a species of lizards in the family Lacertidae.It is endemic to the eastern Canary Islands Lanzarote and Fuerteventura and the smaller islands surrounding them.Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, sandy shores, arable land, pastureland, and rural gardens. Less

Iberolacerta cyreni, commonly known as the Cyren's rock lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to central Spain and is currently listed as endangered by the IUCN due to global warming. I. cyreni has evolved to exhibit key behavioral characteristics, namely individual recognition, in which a lizard is able to identify another organism of the same species, as well as thermoregulation. Less

Boettger's lizard (Gallotia caesaris ) is a species of wall lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands. There are two recognized subspecies. Less

Iberolacerta martinezricai, Martinez-Rica's rock lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. Less

The Spanish algyroides (Algyroides marchi ), also commonly known as the Spanish keeled lizard or Valverde's lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. Less

The West Canary skink (Chalcides viridanus ), also known commonly as the Canaryan cylindrical skink, East Canary Islands skink, the Tenerife skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands. Less

Vipera seoanei cantabrica is a venomous viper subspecies endemic to the Cantabrian Mountains in Spain. Less

The broom hare (Lepus castroviejoi ) is a species of hare endemic to northern Spain. Less

The Southeastern Spanish ibex or Beceite ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica ) is a goat that is endemic to Spain. The Southeastern Spanish ibex inhabits the Sierra Nevada, Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, Sierra de Cazorla, Sierra de Grazalema, Montes de Málaga, in Andalucia. It also occurs in the Sierra Morena. Outside Andalucia, it can be found in the Montes de Toledo and in the mountains all along the Spanish Mediterranean, with populations as ...
far north as southern Catalonia. From there it might one day colonise the Pyrenees, which were formerly home to another subspecies of the Spanish ibex. Less

The Cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva ) is a slim mountain goat antelope, and is one of the 10 subspecies of the genus Rupicapra. It ranges the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, with a population of 17,000 animals in 2007-2008. Less