Construction work to facilitate a new housing development in a Gran Canaria town may have to be revised amid concerns on its impact on a threatened species of lizard.
The authorities intervened to review a road widening project next to the proposed housing in Telde on Wednesday after concerns were expressed by a local animal welfare association which had discovered an extensive population of the endangered Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini) around the site.
Named after Hans Georg Stehlin (1870-1941), a paleontologist based at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Basel, the lizard was, until quite recently, regarded as the largest extant Canary Island lizard. Adults can grow to a total length (including tail) of up to 80 cm (31 inches). The lizard is among the largest reptiles within the family Lacertidae and is a true omnivore, with the young often consuming various invertebrates, vegetation and soft fruits. As they mature, however, their diet largely consists of plant matter.
Assessed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is particularly vulnerable due to habitat loss and because it is frequently preyed upon by feral cats and the California kingsnake, an invasive species of snake whose numbers have grown significantly in Gran Canaria of late.
The decision to review the work scheduled for Telde’s San Gregorio district was taken after a site visit by the island’s veterinary officer who, while agreeing on the need for new housing in the area, insisted that protecting the island’s fauna was also a paramount consideration.
The pause will enable an environmental impact study to be carried out, which will help determine the next steps required to protect the threatened lizards. Among likely measures contemplated is the capture and relocation of the lizards to a safe zone, a process which could take some time.
Photo: https://animalia.bio/gran-canaria-giant-lizard/1000
