Fauna of the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are characterized by their natural beauty reflected in both their vegetation and their fauna. That is why we invite you to know in detail the main characteristics of the fauna of the Canary Islands and the different species that exist in their ecosystem.

That is why we invite you to know in detail the main characteristics of the fauna of the Canary Islands and the different species that exist in their ecosystem.

Diversity of fauna

Despite their small size, the Canary Islands have a wide diversity of species, which vary given the different climates that exist in them. The vegetation also influences this factor because on each island there is a very particular flora that allows the development of diverse zoological life.

In this region, far from the continent, there are more than 12500 different species, only of the terrestrial type. In this sense, because they are distant from the mainland, many of the species have been introduced by man himself and have adapted to the conditions of the islands.

Others, on the other hand, can be found exclusively in the Canary Islands, so they are considered endemic species.

Among the more than 3500 endemic species, there is a percentage that is in danger of extinction, due to the change in the economic activities of the island that have affected the development and environment of these species.

In addition to this, there are approximately 4500 marine species and the number of vertebrate species reaches only 125, while invertebrates abound much more, being able to find up to 8000 different species.

Invertebrates

As we mentioned earlier, invertebrate animals are the most abundant in kind in the Canary Islands. Many of the animals of this taxonomic group that reaches 8000, are native to the islands (endemic species).

The most abundant are terrestrial species, which reach from 6900 to 7000 species. While on the other hand you can find more than 1000 marine species in the surroundings of the island, most of them endemic.

Mollusks are the most particular and the most abundant in these archipelagos.

Canarian snails

It is said that the snails of the Canary Islands, are the species of greater proportion in the whole archipelago. Approximately just over 250 species of snails have been recorded on the different islands and in recent years this figure has increased, as almost 15 more species have been discovered.

In addition to this, most Canarian snails are endemic species, which only survive on the territory of such islands. Some, such as Insulovitrina lamarckii, survive in small places where there is high humidity, since they have greater water loss.

Other very characteristic species such as Hemicycla saulcyi and Napaeus isletae, can survive on specific islands, such as La Isleta and Las Palmas of Gran Canarias.

Of all these species one of the most recognized is the "Canarian Snail" whose real name is Hemicycla plicaria and which in the region is known as the "Chuchanga corrugated". This is located on the island of Tenerife and is currently known since it is in danger of extinction, so greater importance has been given to its care and conservation.

The vitrinids, on the other hand, make up about 20 species, which in sight resemble slugs (without a shell), but which actually have a very small shell, but cannot be retracted inside it. This group is mainly found on the island of Anaga.

Vertebrates

Compared to the invertebrate species that abound largely within the islands, vertebrates have a much smaller percentage. As we mentioned earlier, vertebrate species are found between 120 and 125 on all islands.

Of this amount, it is estimated that approximately 60% are species native to the island, within which about 17 species are endemic.

The other 40% are mostly species introduced by different means, among which the fish introductions and in some cases, the release of companion animals and a small percentage of species whose origin is not yet known.

Poultry

Of the vertebrate species, birds are the ones with the greatest presence on the island, especially the largest number of endemic and autonomous species. Among them a great example is the canary, which spread throughout the world and whose song currently represents the Islands.

Many of these species are endangered, others are unique to certain regions. Among the main species we find the woodpecker and the blue finch, this is found in Tenerife and in the Gran Canaria, however, in the latter the species is in critical danger of extinction.

In coastal areas it is common to see the famous black-footed plovers, which lay their eggs in small caves. The bisbita caminero, on the other hand, is one of the most abundant in the area and we can find it both on the coast and in the mountains.

Bats

A total of 8 different species of bats are known from the Canary Islands. Many of them are also found in nearby archipelagos of Africa and Europe. Among the most outstanding of them we have the famous Canarian eared bat, this is the only mammal endemic to the island.

Another species is the Madeira bat, this little one, which can weigh only 5 grams, can be found mainly in the province of Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife.

Among the rest of the species, the light-edged bat, the small noctule and the mountaineer stand out.

Reptiles and amphibians

In the Canary Islands we can find a total of 16 species of reptiles, which are divided into three main groups: mullets, giant lizards and perenques, which can only be found in the Canary region.

For its part, there are only two species of amphibians in the entire archipelago, which are introduced voluntarily. These are the common frog and the southern frog.

Turtles

Within the archipelago, sea turtles can be observed mainly, since the terrestrial species are extinct, of which large fossils have been found, similar to the Galapagos Tortoises.

Of the marine species, some of them are not native to the islands but make life in their vicinity. Among the main ones are the green turtle that can live up to 80 years, the hawksbill turtle and the olive ridley.

Fishes

The fish fauna of the island is conditioned by several factors, among which the climatic varieties, the volcanic conditions and the ocean currents that vary in terms of temperature stand out.

In this sense, we see that among the most abundant species are the sama and the bocinegro. The red fish, the gambusia and the black-bass, are other species established on the islands.

Introduced invasive species

A large number of species introduced to the islands are known throughout history, of which the rabbit stands out as the oldest. However, at the beginning of the fifteenth century, it is said that the aborigines introduced mainly vaccine species, goats, sheep, pigs and dogs, for their high grazing activity, from which they were sustained.

Species such as the arruí and the mouflon are also known, which were introduced at the end of the twentieth century. Of all the species, the Canarian camel also stands out, which received this title after surviving more than 600 years after its introduction.

The famous lizards of the Canary Islands

Finally, we can not leave out the famous lizards of the Canary Islands. These are found in four species distributed in Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria and El Hierro. They can measure between 60 cm and 1 meter and live in semi-desert, stony and arid environments.

These large animals can lay between 4 to 14 eggs in each offspring and feed on anything, so they are omnivores.