Lanzarote is one of 16 exclusive flora species endemic to the island, 30 exclusive endemic species of the eastern Canary Islands, 41 exclusive endemic species of Canary and 19 exclusive endemic species of Macaronesia.
The distribution of vegetation on the island of Lanzarote
Lanzarote is home to an endemic invertebrate exclusive of Lanzarote, the Munidopsis polymorpha, a tiny lobster, albino and blind, exclusive of salt water from the underground lake of volcanic pits of Jameos del Agua, where he gets his nickname “jameito” (gouffrette?).
Amegilla quadrifasciata foraging on witch claws (Carpobrotus edulis) in Playa Blanca.
Despite the desert side of the island, there are no snakes in Lanzarote. However the island is home to many endemic species including some lizards. The most characteristic of the island reptiles are Atlantic lizard (Gallotia atlantica) (lagarto atlántico) and Taranto broad head (Tarentola angustimentalis) or gecko Lanzarote (perenquén majorero).
The avifauna of Lanzarote includes about 40 species nesting kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) (cernícalo), the gray shrike (Lanius excubitor) (alcaudón real), the stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) (alcaraván) or Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata) (hubara canaria).
The cliffs of the Cordillera de Famara are a sanctuary for endangered species: the last Egyptian vultures on the island (Neophron percnopterus) (guirre), osprey (Pandion haliaetus) (guincho), the Barbary falcon (Falco pelegrinoides) (halcón de Berbería). The wealth of bird life also extends to the neighboring islands of the archipelago Chinijo, where we note the presence of the shearwater Scopoli (Calonectris diomedea) (pardela cenicienta).
In the salt marshes as the Salinas de Janubio in Yaiza or those of Los Cocoteros near Guatiza, species can be observed as the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), little egret (Egretta garzetta) and stilt (Himantopus himantopus). In the ruins of windmills githagine the nest finch (Bucanetes githagineus) and the hoopoe (Upupa epops).
The “camels” that we see in Lanzarote are not two-humped camels, or Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus), but specifically camels to a bump, or Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius).
Camels are animals that can reach a height of 2.5 m at the withers; their colors vary from brown, tan to almost white. Camels make excellent pack animals because they have large water storage pockets in the stomach and fat reserves in their humps. Their large feet spread, the padded toes, allow them to have a good grip on soft ground.
Camels were introduced to Lanzarote from North Africa to the fifteenth century, and even today they have camel (camelleros) Moroccan. Camels were used to pull the heavy wheels of animal traction mills, or to transport the grapes harvest and lapilli (picón) used in agriculture. You can see the harness camels in Agricultural Museum El Patio in Tiagua and Tanit Museum in San Bartolomé.