biology

Gran Canaria giant lizard

Gran Canaria giant lizard is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gran Canaria giant lizard rather than just read about it. In short: The Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is found in the Canary Islands.

Key takeaways

Gran Canaria giant lizard belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gran Canaria giant lizard to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gran Canaria giant lizard from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is found in the Canary Islands.

Etymology The specific name, stehlini, is in honor of Swiss paleontologist Hans Georg Stehlin, who collected the holotype.

Description G. stehlini grows to a total length (including tail) of up to 80 cm (31 in). It is among the largest reptiles within the family Lacertidae. The species comes in a variety of grays, browns, and reddish hues. Unlike their female counterparts, males exhibit sizable jowls, robust heads and overall greater body mass.

Diet G. stehlini is a true omnivore. The young often consume various invertebrates, vegetation and soft fruits. As they mature, their diet largely consists of plant matter.

Geographic range G. stehlini is endemic to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands of Spain but it has been introduced to Fuerteventura.

Habitat The natural habitats of G. stehlini are temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, and pastureland, at altitudes from sea level to 1,850 m (6,070 ft).

Reproduction G. stehlini is oviparous.

Conservation Status The Gran Canaria Giant Lizard is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered as of July 2024, due to the introduction of California kingsnake.

References

Further reading Cox, Siobhan C.; Carranza, Salvador; Brown, Richard P. (2010). "Divergence times and colonization of the Canary Islands by Gallotia lizards". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56 (2): 747–757. (corrigendum in 56: 1136). Hernández, E.; Nogales, M.; Martín, A. (March 2000). "Discovery of a New Lizard in the Canary Islands, with a Multivariate Analysis of Gallotia (Reptilia: Lacertidae)". Herpetologica. 56 (1): 63–76. JSTOR 3893128. Schenkel, Ehrenfried (1901). "Achter Nachtrag zum Katalog der herpetologischen Sammlung des Basler Museums ". Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 13: 142–199. (Lacerta galloti var. stehlini, new variation, p. 187). (in German). Sindaco, Roberto; Jeremčenko, Valery K. (2008). The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. (Monographs of the Societas Herpetologica Italica). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. ISBN 978-88-89504-14-7.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gran Canaria giant lizard

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gran Canaria giant lizard claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gran Canaria giant lizard before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gran Canaria giant lizard ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gran Canaria giant lizard

In research: Gran Canaria giant lizard appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gran Canaria giant lizard in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gran Canaria giant lizard is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fauna of Gran Canaria, Gallotia, Habitats Directive species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gran Canaria giant lizard outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gran Canaria giant lizard in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gran Canaria giant lizard means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gran Canaria giant lizard out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gran Canaria giant lizard in simple terms?

The Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is found in the Canary Islands.

Why does Gran Canaria giant lizard matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gran Canaria giant lizard?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gran Canaria giant lizard.