Hierro giant lizard  (Gallotia simonyi)

Threats

Feral rats and cats pose the most serious threat to this lizard. Poisons used for pest control seem to be inadvertently affecting the lizard population (7).

Conservation

Plans for conservation of this species are not extensive. The United Nations and the Canary Islands Autonomous Government funded a program for the captive breeding and re-introduction of the Hierro giant lizard to its original natural habitat. This management plan began in late 1997 and ran until early 2000 (7) (8). Juveniles are more suitable for re-introduction as the sprint escape performance of the adult lizard is diminished by prolonged captivity (9).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
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