I’ll tell you about the plants and animals in the Canaries, about endemics, what to pay attention to, and not to pass by. The flora and fauna of the Canary Islands are very diverse and represented by biological species from 4 different climate zones. You’ll learn about interesting locations with local flora and fauna.
Flora and Fauna of the Canary Islands: General Information
This article is primarily for tourists heading here to shed light on some interesting aspects of the Canaries, making your journey even more memorable.
In summary, here’s some general information about the flora and fauna on the islands:
- The Canary Islands are an archipelago of seven volcanic islands.
- Despite being close together in one region with the same climate, they are all very different and unique. For example, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote resemble Mars or the Moon with their landscapes, while La Gomera and La Palma are green-covered islands of eternal spring.
- For a long time, the flora and fauna of the Canary Islands evolved separately from the mainland. As a result of evolution on isolated territory, many endemics appeared on the Canaries. Endemics are plant and animal species that evolved in a specific area and are not found anywhere else in the world beyond that.

It’s important to know:
There are no snakes (except in Gran Canaria, where they were accidentally introduced and now breed, so they are being caught because snakes harm the local ecosystem), poisonous spiders, or dangerous predators in the wild on the Canary Islands. There’s nothing threatening to tourists in the wild. For dangers on the islands and what to be cautious about, read the article via the link.
About the weather and the season when it’s best to visit for a vacation, and where there’s beach relaxation in February, read the article: Weather in the Canaries.
Plants of the Canary Islands: Endemics
I’m not a biologist, and I won’t go into detail about all the endemic plants of the Canary Islands. I’ll highlight only the most interesting ones.
- Dragon Tree, or Dracaena draco. They’re called that because if you damage the bark, a resinous red sap is released. Such trees grow in only two places in the world, in the Canaries and on the island of Socotra in Yemen. There’s also dracaena there, but it’s a different species. The largest, thousand-year-old dracaena, grows in Tenerife in the city of Icod de los Vinos: 28.36666496539634, -16.722441168393605. Detailed information about this location can be found in the article: What to see in Tenerife.
- Dracaena is a symbol of the Canary Islands among plants, well, one of the symbols. There’s also the Canary Pine, but there’s not much to write about it, it’s just a pine tree.

- Dandelions. Yes, giant tree-like dandelions grow taller than a person. This species is Sonchus hierrensis (named after the island of El Hierro, where they were first discovered). They are abundant on the island of La Gomera in the Garajonay National Park, but they can also be found on La Palma. Read about this park in the article: Top Attractions of La Gomera. It’s ideal to catch them blooming, usually in the second half of February. They look exactly like our dandelions, only their roots are on the surface, and they’re about a meter or two tall.

- Strelitzia – a flower that grows well in a pot on a windowsill in our latitudes. It’s not endemic to the Canaries, but it’s one of the symbols. Strelitzia grows in all botanical gardens on the islands and can also be found in street flower beds. Strelitzia seeds are often sold in souvenir shops.

Birds and Animals in the Canaries
Among the animals in the Canaries, there are many more endemics than among plants. But I’ll say straight away, don’t expect amazing endemic animal species like in Australia (kangaroos, platypuses, and so on). Here it’s much simpler. Most of the endemic animals in the Canaries are birds (blue chaffinch, laurel pigeon, and so on), several species of lizards and rodents, and insects.
Some of the most well-known representatives are:
- Domestic Canary (bird). Many believe that the Canary Islands were named after the canary, but in fact, it’s the other way around, this bird was named after the islands it originated from. More precisely, not the canary itself, but its wild ancestor – the Atlantic canary (Serinus canaria). And the Canary Islands were named after wild dogs, which were abundant here 2000 years ago. All about this in the article “History of the Canaries“.
- Barbary ground squirrels – they’re not endemic either, but I have to mention them. On the island of Fuerteventura (only here), there are tens of thousands of Barbary ground squirrels living in the wild throughout the island. They’re very similar to chipmunks, but they’re squirrels. Very friendly, cheeky, and have long been accustomed to tourists feeding them. Where to find them on Fuerteventura in the article: what to see on the island, top tourist locations.

Underwater World in the Canary Islands
Here’s a brief overview, as there’s a comprehensive article about the Atlantic Ocean in the Canaries via the link, where you’ll find lots of useful information about beach vacations and the dangers on the beaches.
- The Canaries are bathed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
- In the waters around the Canary Islands, there are: dolphins, sharks, and whales. But none of these trio comes close to the beaches.
- Unfortunately, sharks occasionally (but extremely rarely) bite tourists and locals. Since 1900, there have been officially recorded 10 shark attacks in the Canaries, fortunately, none fatal.
- There are many dolphins. You can see them right during a ferry trip to a neighboring island.
- Whales are fewer, encounters are rare, most of what you’ll see is a whale’s hump about a kilometer away from the boat. But such excursions are sold. Usually, it’s the same excursion called: Whale and Dolphin Watching Tour.
- There’s a huge selection of marine tours in the Canaries. In short: be prepared for seasickness, it’s the open ocean. Swimming with dolphins is not allowed, you can only watch them from the boat. The chance of seeing dolphins is high, whales – low.
- Review of the best excursions and tours in the Canaries and where to find them.

In conclusion: the flora and fauna of the Canary Islands vary greatly from island to island. There are no unusual animals here, and while the list of endemics is extensive, they’re mostly species and subspecies of plants and animals popular in our regions. Be sure to find a dragon tree, it grows in any botanical garden on any island, it’s perhaps the main endemic of the Canaries. And don’t count too much on seeing whales, no matter what they promise you, so you don’t get disappointed later 🙂
Useful links to help you plan your dream trip to Canary Islands:
- Car Rental: LocalRent or DiscoverCars – the most popular car rental platforms.
- Accommodation:
- Trip.com – the largest accommodation booking platform.
- or TripAdvisor – to compare prices among other platforms and choose the best one.
- Budget-friendly vacation packages to Spain and Canary Islands: CheapOair.
- Tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator – hundreds of offers, whales and dolphins, entrance tickets with discounts.
- eSIM and internet: Airalo.
- Flights: WayAway compares prices among dozens of companies.
- Travel Insurance: EKTA.