Gallotia goliath (Mertens, 1942)
Goliath Tenerife lizard, Tenerife giant lizard
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Lacerta goliath Mertens, 1942 (original combination)
Conservation Status
Extinct (Fernández-Palacios et al., 2025)
Distribution & Habitat
El Hierro & Tenerife, Canary Islands
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Mertens, R. (1942). Lacerta goliath n. sp., eine ausgestorbene Rieseneidechse von den Kanaren. Senckenbergiana 25: 330-339.
Other references:
Alberto, V. (1998). Los otros animales. Consumo de Gallotia goliath y Canariomys bravoi en la prehistoria de Tenerife. El Museo Canario 53: 59-86.
Barahona, F.; Evans, S. E.; Mateo, J.A.; García-Márquez, M. and López-Jurado, L.F. (2000). Endemism, gigantism and extinction in island lizards: the genus Gallotia on the Canary Islands. J. Zool. 250(3): 373-388. [Abstract]
Bocherens, H., Michaux, J., Billiou, D., Castanet, J. and Garcìa-Talavera, F. (2003). Contribution of collagen stable isotope biogeochemistry to the paleobiology of extinct endemic vertebrates from Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies 39(3): 197-210.
Castillo, C., Rando, J. C. and Zamora, J. F. (1994). Discovery of mummified extinct giant lizards (Gallotia goliath, Lacertidae) in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Bönner Zoologische Beiträge 45(2): 129-136.
Crowley, Brooke Erin et al. (2019). Revisiting the Foraging Ecology and Extinction History of Two Endemic Vertebrates from Tenerife, Canary Islands. Quaternary 2(10): doi:10.3390/quat2010010. [automatic download]
Fernández-Palacios, José María, Fructuoso, Melania, Illera, Juan Carlos, Rando, Juan Carlos, de Nascimento, Lea, Fernández-Palacios, Enrique, Patiño, Jairo, Otto, Rüdiger, Castilla-Beltrán, Álvaro, González, Esther Martín, Orihuela-Rivero, Raúl, Alcover, Josep Antoni, Whittaker, Robert J. (2025). A synthesis of terrestrial species extinctions in the Macaronesian Islands and their correspondence with human occupancy. PNAS Nexus 4(8): pgaf215. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf215 [Supplementary data (.docx)]
Maca-Meyer, N.; Carranza, S.; Rando, J.C.; Arnold, E.N. & Cabrera, V.M. (2003). Status and relationships of the extinct giant Canary Island lizard Gallotia goliath (Reptilia: Lacertidae), assessed using ancient mtDNA from its mummified remains. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 80(4): 659-670.
Morales, J., Rodríguez, A., Alberto, V. et al. (2009). The impact of human activities on the natural environment of the Canary Islands (Spain) during the pre-Hispanic stage (3rd-2nd Century BC to 15th Century AD): An overview. Environmental Archaeology 14: 27-36.
Palacios-García, Sergio et al. (2021). Quaternary biodiversity of the giant fossil endemic lizards from the island of El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain). Quaternary Science Reviews 262: 106961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106961
Pérez-Martín, S. et al. (2022). In the jaws of a titan: 3D comparative anatomy of the mandibles of the Canary giant lizards (Gallotiinae: Gallotia). Historical Biology. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2022.2077107
Regalado, Pedro Galán. (2015). Los Anfibios y Reptiles Extinguidos: Herpetofauna Desaparecida Desde el Año 1500. Monografías de la Universidade da Coruña 155: 1-509.
https://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/11251/gallotia-goliath-tenerife-giant-lizard