Skull in Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Squamata
Family:
Lacertidae
Genus:
Gallotia
Species:
†G. goliath
Binomial name
†Gallotia goliath
Mertens, 1942
Synonyms
Gallotia maxima Bravo, 1953
Lacerta maxima Bravo, 1953[1]
Lacerta goliath Mertens, 1942
Gallotia goliath (the Tenerife giant lizard or goliath Tenerife lizard[2]) is an extinct giant lizard species from the island of Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain. This reptile lived before the arrival of humans and is believed to have grown to at least 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) long.[3] It was described by the German herpetologist Robert Mertens. Fossils of this lizard have been found in volcanic caves, where they often appear with those of other animals, like the Tenerife giant rat.
^Bravo, Telésforo. Lacerta maxima n. sp. de la fauna continental extinguida del Pleistoceno de las Canarias. Instituto "Lucas Mallada" de Investigaciones Geológicas, 1953.
^"The Recently Extinct Plants and Animals Database Extinct Reptiles: Gallotia goliath". Archived from the original on 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
Gallotiagoliath (the Tenerife giant lizard or goliath Tenerife lizard) is an extinct giant lizard species from the island of Tenerife of the Canary Islands...
lizard Gallotiagoliath - Tenerife giant lizard, subfossil; includes G. maxima Gallotia intermedia - Tenerife speckled lizard Small species Gallotia caesaris...
"Status and relationships of the extinct giant Canary Island lizard Gallotiagoliath (Reptilia: Lacertidae), assessed using ancient mtDNA from its mummified...
"Status and relationships of the extinct giant Canary Island lizard Gallotiagoliath (Reptilia: Lacertidae), assessed using ancient mtDNA from its mummified...
fossils usually occur in caves and volcanic tubes associated with Gallotiagoliath. The slender-billed greenfinch (Chloris aurelioi), an extinct greenfinch...
were inhabited by prehistoric animals including the giant lizard (Gallotiagoliath), the Tenerife and Gran Canaria giant rats, and giant prehistoric tortoises...
The cave is rich in fossils of the "Canarian megafauna". Bones of Gallotiagoliath and Canariomys bravoi, an extinct giant lizard and rat, respectively...
together with remains of other species such as the giant lizards (Gallotiagoliath). In particular, its bony remains have been discovered in large amounts...
"Status and relationships of the extinct giant Canary Island lizard Gallotiagoliath (Reptilia: Lacertidae), assessed using ancient mtDNA from its mummified...
1.5 m (4.91 ft). The largest ever lived lacertid, the goliath Tenefire lizard (Gallotiagoliath) reached the length of 1.2–1.25 m (3.9–4.1 ft). The largest...
to full species rank. Remains from La Palma previously assigned to Gallotiagoliath seem to belong to this taxon instead; if this is correct, they indicate...
The El Hierro giant lizard (Gallotia simonyi machadoi) is the only extant, critically endangered subspecies of Simony's giant lizard. It is endemic to...
The Tenerife speckled lizard (Gallotia intermedia) is a recently discovered lacertid (wall lizard) endemic to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It is the...
Island, Açores, Portugal Undetermined. 1400-1500 Tenerife giant lizard Gallotiagoliath Tenerife and La Palma, Canary Islands Hunting. 1425-1660 Kauaʻi finch...
A study on the diet, habitat and timing and cause of extinction of Gallotiagoliath is published by Crowley et al. (2019). An almost complete and articulated...
fossil lacertids, is published by Tschopp et al. (2021). Fossils of Gallotiagoliath are described for the first time from the El Hierro island (Canary...
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