Paleontologists have made a groundbreaking discovery on the Spanish island of Tenerife, uncovering a remarkably well-preserved, articulated skeleton of a lizard estimated to be around 700,000 years old. This find may represent *Gallotia goliath*, an extinct giant lizard species that thrived long before humans arrived in the Canary Islands.

The fossil was discovered by retired botanist Arnoldo Santos-Guerra while searching for snail shells. He found it embedded in a 42-pound sandstone block, which also contained the remains of a second, smaller lizard, though this juvenile specimen was not as well-preserved.

Santos-Guerra recognized the significance of his discovery and reached out to Carolina Castillo Ruiz, a paleontologist at the University of La Laguna. Under her guidance, the fossil was meticulously scanned and cleaned, and it is now stored in the university’s Biology Section for further study.

“The main lizard retains its morphology entirely, allowing a clear view of its skeletal structure,” Castillo Ruiz noted. The exceptional preservation suggests that the lizard died and was quickly buried, possibly due to a sudden event that protected it from decay and scavengers. Researchers hypothesize that both lizards might have become trapped in a sand dune formation, leading to their extraordinary preservation.

Initial analyses have revealed similarities between the fossil and *Gallotia* species from El Hierro, another island in the Canary Archipelago. However, precise species identification will require more detailed studies. CT scans of the skull, separated from the body, have been conducted to create a 3D model for comparison with both extinct and modern species, further illuminating the evolutionary history of these fascinating reptiles.