East Canary gecko

Description

The East Canary gecko can grow to about 8 cm from the tip of its snout to its vent and has a tail of a similar length. It is a sturdy, plump gecko with a dorsally flattened head and body and short sideways projecting legs and resembles the Moorish gecko in general shape. The feet have adhesive pads all along the toes and these are widest at the tips. There are strong claws on the third and fourth digit of each foot. The skin is fairly smooth with small tubercles which are often multi-keeled. The eyes have vertical pupils in bright light and are brown or golden. The body colour is quite variable, being generally greyish-brown with a paler, sometimes intermittent, stripe along the spine and darker transverse bars. The underside is paler and sometimes tinged yellow, especially near the vent.

The East Canary gecko or Canary wall gecko is a species of lizard endemic to the eastern Canary Islands and often seen in Fuerteventura at night on outdoor walls and ceilings.

Geographic range

The East Canary gecko is found on the Canary Islands of Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Lobos and several small islands north of Lanzarote.

Habitat

It is very common in a range of habitats up to an altitude of about 800 m. These include cliffs, screes, gullies, salt flats with scrubby vegetation, dunes, cultivated land and even inside houses.

Biology

The diet of the East Canary gecko consists of insects, spiders and other small invertebrates.

Reproduction

The male East Canary gecko is larger than the female and is territorial during the breeding season. It is quite vocal and has a range of calls. The female lays one or more clutches of two oval eggs about 1.2 cm long, in cracks, under stones or buried in sand. They probably hatch in 2 to 3 months and the baby geckos that emerge are 2 to long from snout to vent. Their colouring is rather more vivid than that of the adults. Females mature at about 6 cm long, and they have been known to live for 17 years in captivity.

Conservation status

The East Canary gecko is listed as being of "least concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This is because, although the range is very limited, it is common in many parts of that range, its habitats are not threatened and the population does not seem to be declining.

References

References

1. Bowles, P.. (2024). "''Tarentola angustimentalis''".
2. Arnold, Nicholas. (2002). "Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe". Harper Collins Publishers Ltd..
3. Alfredo Salvador. "Perenquén majorero – ''Tarentola angustimentalis'' Steindachner, 1891". Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC).