| Gallotia goliath | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| Family: | Lacertidae |
| Subfamily: | Gallotiinae |
| Genus: | Gallotia |
| Species: | †G. goliath |
| Binomial name | |
| Gallotia goliath Mertens, 1942 |
|
Gallotia goliath is an extinct giant lizard species from the island of Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain. This reptile lived before the arrival of humans. It was described by the German herpetologist Robert Mertens. It is believed that it grew to at least three feet long.[1] Fossils of this lizard have been found in volcanic caves, where they often appear with other animals, like Canariomys bravoi (the Tenerife giant rat).
Prehistoric Gallotia remains have been assigned to the taxa G. goliath and G. maxima, the former supposedly occurring on several islands, the latter only on Tenerife. It was eventually determined, however, that G. maxima is a junior synonym of G. goliath, and that the latter was very close to G. simonyi; supposed goliath specimens from El Hierro, La Gomera, and La Palma are probably just extremely large individuals of, respectively, G. simonyi, G. bravoana, and G. auaritae (Barahona et al. 2000). Based on DNA sequence analysis of mummified remains, G. goliath is a valid species that probably was restricted to Tenerife, and apparently was closer to G. intermedia than to G. simonyi (Maca-Meyer et al. 2003).