Eastern Canary Lizard
| Eastern Canary Lizard | ||||||||||||
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Eastern Canary Lizard ( Gallotia atlantica ) |
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| Gallotia atlantica | ||||||||||||
| ( Peters & Doria , 1882) |
The Eastern Canary Lizard ( Gallotia atlantica ), also known as the Atlantic lizard or Purpurarium lizard , is a species of lizard from the Lacertidae family .
features
The Eastern Canary Lizard reaches a total length of 28.5 centimeters, making it the smallest species within the genus Gallotia . The males reach a head-torso length of up to 10.8 centimeters, the females remain somewhat smaller with up to 7.3 centimeters. Your appearance is slim. The head is high and clearly pointed forward. The dorsal scales are clearly keeled and large. The collar is sawn on its rear edge. A large temple plate ( massetericum ) is missing. The Eastern Canary Lizard is colored and drawn very variably. The upper side is colored gray to olive brown or almost black brown in males and females. At the border from the back to the flanks there is a light vertical stripe on both sides. This is particularly lined with dark spots on the inside. There are often fine and irregular dark transverse spots on the back and flanks, between which there are lighter, smaller spots. All adult animals have a number of spots on their flanks that are bluish, greenish, or turquoise. These are usually round and medium-sized. Their size and number can be very different. They can be small to very large and also merge with one another, right up to a colorful longitudinal band.
In male animals there is often a metal sheen on the back. Her belly is cream-colored and almost always without any markings. On the other hand, in animals with a very dark upper side, the belly is colored blue-gray. Young animals have a dark brown basic color and light vertical stripes. Their tail is lighter than the rest of the body. In females, the light longitudinal stripes are retained in adults, while it usually disappears in males.
Systematics
The species is divided into 2 subspecies :
- Gallotia atlantica subsp. atlantica : This subspecies occurs on Lanzarote as well as the small islets Graciosa , Montaña Clara , Alegranza and Roque del Este .
- Gallotia atlantica subsp. mahoratae : This subspecies occurs on Fuerteventura and Lobos . On Gran Canaria entrained specimens of Atlantic Lizard probably go back to animals of Fuerteventura.
Occurrence
The Eastern Canary Lizard occurs from sea level to the highest mountain ranges in its range. You can find it on Lanzarote on the Penas del Chache (671 meters) and on Fuerteventura on the Pico da la Zarza (807 meters). The species is very undemanding as far as its habitat is concerned, therefore Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are populated almost everywhere. The Eastern Canary Lizard avoids only stone-free salt steppes, pure sandy beaches, large scree slopes without vegetation and young lava fields. On beaches with mussel shells and scree and in the intertidal zone on areas overgrown with samphire it can be found. Sufficient coverage is important here. The species is very common in man-made habitats such as the edges of places, agricultural land, and landfills.
Way of life
The Eastern Canary Lizard is active all year round and does not hibernate. The mating season begins in March and extends over several months. Eggs are laid between April and July. Presumably, each female releases two clutches per season. These usually consist of 3 eggs (rarely 1 to 5). The eggs are 10 to 15 millimeters long and 7 to 9 millimeters wide. The young hatch after 2 to 3 months.
The species feeds mainly on plants, but also catches insects. In captivity, it has been observed that they enjoy eating small pieces of raw meat. The eastern Canarian lizard's predators are kestrel , buzzard , common raven , southern gray shrike and hoopoe . Algerian hedgehogs ( Atelerix algirus ), Canary shrews and stray dogs and cats also eat the animals.
supporting documents
- Dieter Glandt : Pocket dictionary of amphibians and reptiles in Europe. All types from the Canary Islands to the Urals. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-494-01470-8 , pp. 343-346.
Web links
- Photos of the Eastern Canary Lizard on www.herp.it
- Gallotia atlantica in The Reptile Database
- Gallotia atlantica inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Jose Antonio Mateo Miras, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2013.