List of reptiles of the Canary Islands

List of reptiles of the Canary Islands is an incomplete list of reptiles found in the Canary Islands. This list includes both endemic and introduced species.

EX	Extinct	No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW	Extinct in the wild	Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR	Critically endangered	The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN	Endangered	The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU	Vulnerable	The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT	Near threatened	The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC	Least concern	There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD	Data deficient	There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

(I): Introduced

Order: Squamata

Lizards

Infraorder Gekkota

Family Phyllodactylidae

• East Canary gecko, Tarentola angustimentalisLC
• Boettger's wall gecko, Tarentola boettgeriLC
• Tenerife gecko, Tarentola delalandiiLC
• Gomero wall gecko, Tarentola gomerensisLC

Family Gekkonidae

• Mediterranean house gecko, Hemidactylus turcicusLC (Gran Canaria and Tenerife) (I)

Superfamily Lacertoidea

Family Lacertidae

• Atlantic lizard, Gallotia atlanticaLC
• Boettger's lizard, Gallotia caesarisLC
• West Canaries lizard, Gallotia gallotiLC
• El Hierro giant lizard, Gallotia simonyiCR
• La Gomera giant lizard, Gallotia bravoanaCR
• Gran Canaria giant lizard, Gallotia stehliniLC
• La Palma giant lizard, Gallotia auaritaeCR
• Tenerife giant lizard, Gallotia goliathEX
• Tenerife speckled lizard, Gallotia intermediaCR

Infraorder Scincomorpha

Family Scincidae

• East Canary skink, Chalcides simonyiEN
• Gran Canaria skink, Chalcides sexlineatusLC
• West Canary skink, Chalcides viridanusLC
• La Gomera skink, Chalcides coeruleopunctatusLC

Family Chamaeleonidae

• Veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratusLC (I) ^[1]

Snakes

Suborder Serpentes

Family Typhlopidae

• Brahminy blind snake, Indotyphlops braminus LC ^[2] (I)

Family Colubridae

• California kingsnake, Lampropeltic californiaeLC ^[3] (I)

Order: Testudines

Turtles

Family Emydidae

• Pond slider, Trachemys scriptaLC (I)
• False map turtle, Graptemys pseudogeographicaLC (I) ^[4]

Family Testudinidae

• Tenerife giant tortoise, Centrochelys burchardiEX
• Gran Canaria giant tortoise, Centrochelys vulcanicaEX

Family Cheloniidae

• Loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta carettaEN
• Green sea turtle, Chelonia mydasEN
• Hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricataCR
• Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempiiCR

Family Dermochelyidae

• Leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriaceaVU

References

1. Sanna (2023-10-15). "Fight against the naturalisation of the exotic Yemen chameleon invader on Gran Canaria • The Canary News". The Canary News. Retrieved 2025-03-12.
2. Bowler, John (2018). Wildlife of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Wild Guides. p. 164. ISBN   9780691170763.
3. "California kingsnake in the Canary Islands | Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología". www.ipna.csic.es. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
4. "Canary Islands". Herpsafari - amphibians and reptiles of Europe (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-03-12.

• Pleguezuelos, J.M.; Márquez, R.; Lizana, M. (2002). Atlas y Libro Rojo de los anfibios y reptiles de España. Madrid: Dirección General de Conservación de la naturaleza; Asociación Herpetológica Española; Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales.
• Amphibians and Reptiles in the Canary Islands, Focus on Nature