Canary Islands Wildlife

Information on the Canary Islands Animals, Birds,
Marine Life and Plants

Terrestrial animal life on the Canary Islands includes:

A number of lizards and gekkos (such as the striped Canary Islands Gecko) and small wall lizards, and three endemic species of recently rediscovered and critically endangered species of giant lizard, the El Hierro Giant Lizard or Roque Chico de Salmor Giant Lizard, The La Gomera Giant Lizard, and The La Palma Giant Lizard.

There are some creatures that are now believed to be extinct:

The Lava Mouse and Canary Islands Giant Rat.

Canary Islands Bird Life

Birdlife on the Canary Islands includes many European and African species as well as Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Blue Chaffinch, Bolle's Pigeon, Canary (natural coloured), Canary Islands Chiffchaff, Fuerteventura Chat, Graja (endemic to La Palma), Laurel Pigeon, Madeira Firecrest, Plain Swift, Tenerife Goldcrest and Trocaz Pigeon.

There are some birds that are now believed to be extinct:

The Canary Islands Quail and Eastern Canary Islands Chiffchaff.

Canary Islands Marine Life

Marine life around the Canary Islands includes five species of marine turtles: Green Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Kemp's Ridley Turtle, Leatherback Turtle and Loggerhead Turtle.

Recently there have been sightings of leatherback turtle on the beaches in Fuerteventura, giving creadance to the belief that some of these marine turtle species may have had breeding grounds on the Canary Islands in the past.

Fish include - blenny, bream, goby, grouper, grunt, jack, moray eel, ray, scorpionfish, shark and triggerfish.

Ivertibrates include - anenomes, crabs, corals, jellyfishes, molluscs, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sponges and starfishes.

Plant life is diverse, with some naturalised garden plants taking advantage of the range of habitats, the Canary Islands exhibits a diverse collection of plant species from cacti and succulents to wild gourds and geraniums.