In 1863, the Swiss naturalist Karl Von Fritsch visited the island of El Hierro and confirmed the existence of a colony of large lizards in los Rouqes de Salmor, on the north coast of the island. This discovery aroused the interest of the scientific community and, in 1889, Oscar Simony, a naturalist from the Museum of Vienna, paid a visit to the island. Simony catalogued a new species, the Lacerta Simonyi, and established the first in-depth study of the mythical lizard from Hierro. He described a species of between 50 and 70 centimetres in length, blackish brown in colour, with yellow stemmata along its flanks. This discovery gave rise to a collection frenzy by the natural science museums around the world and, as a result, the last living specimens were taken from Roques de Salmor in 1931. The lizard had become extinct. Today, all that remains today this pillage are 10 stuffed lizards, five in the British Museum in London, three in Vienna, one in La Palma and another in Tenerife.

Four decades later, in 1975, a shepherd from Guinea, hired by a German collector, captured two specimens. The Giant Lizard had survived and, once again people were keen to take them from the island. The people of El Hierro made a stand against this and managed to stop the two animals from being taken from the island. In addition, they decided that it was necessary to make a concerted effort to converse and protect the species. La Fuga de Gorreta, situated on the cliffs overlooking Salmor, was the final stronghold for the lizard that studies showed to be a sub-species of the Lacerta Simonyi and which was named Lacerta Simonyi Machadoi in honour of the shepherd who had rediscovered it.
 
The Giant Lizard of El Hierro is a saurian reptile around 50 centimetres long, blackish brown in colour, which can weigh up to 300 grams. It has a life expectancy of around 15 years and the males display a clear territorial behaviour. The females are in heat in May and early June and lay between five and twelve white eggs, 3 centimetres in diameter, from which the babies emerge, becoming fully independent within only 20 days. During the early years (from 2 to 4), they are insectivorous, and later become herbivores in their adult life. Their main natural enemy is the kestrel, although the most dangerous threat to the survival of this reptile are species which have been introduced to the island by man, in particular cats, wild dogs and rats.   

Hope for recovery

In 1993, thanks to the efforts made by the Spanish and Canarian governments, the Guinea Lizard Centre was opened, a centre dedicated to breeding in captivity and a study of the animal that has achieved some spectacular results in recent years. These facilities, which include an analysis centre open to the public, has initiated a plan to reintroduce the giant lizard back into the wild that has already shown positive results. In the centre, the species is able to reproduce under genetically viable conditions and the young lizards are then trained so that they will be able to survive in the wild.      

Lagartario de Guinea (Guinea Lizard Centre)
Location: Frontera - Valverde road
Visiting hours: open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (from 10.00 to 14.00 and from 16.00 to 18.00)
Entrance fee: Residents 3.60 Euros; Non-residents, 4.25 euros
Telephone: 922 55 50 56