Admired for its biodiversity with a large number of faunal and floral species endemic to the Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, it is worth exploring the natural history of the Canary Islands.

The Canarian archipelago owes its unique ecology to its long geological history that helped to shape its landscape. The seven main islands and the several islets forming the Canary Islands were formed as a result of volcanic activities. The geological history of the archipelago, spanning for about 15 million years, have witnessed periods of violent volcanic activities for more than 2 millions of years. The intense prehistoric volcanic eruptions had wiped out virtually all signs of life from most of the archipelago. The flora and fauna of the Canary Islands, that are currently seen, appeared after the cessation of the fierce volcanic activities.

Apart from its geological past, the subtropical climate of the archipelago, influenced primarily by the trade winds blowing from the northwest, with minor seasonal variations had contributed to the biodiversity of the Canary Islands.

Natural History of the Canary Islands

During the Tertiary period, the mountainous regions of the Canary Islands were covered with pine woods and lush laurel forests. The prehistoric forests of the archipelago can be still seen in the nature parks of the islands. Although, the flora of the Tertiary age that covered almost entire Europe during the Tertiary period was lost from the European mainland due to climatic changes, it survived in the Canary Islands forming one of the oldest island environments of Europe. The unique ecosystem of the Canarian archipelago that remained almost unchanged for millions of years is responsible for diverse insect groups, endemic to the ancient laurel forests.

Current Biodiversity of the Canary Islands

There are five types of vegetation zones in the Canarian archipelago. Along the coast, up to a height of 250 m, the vegetation comprises of arid subtropical scrubs. Humid and semi-arid scrubs are found up to a height of 600 m above the sea level. At higher elevations, between 600 and 1000 m, the vegetation is predominately humid laurel forests. Dry temperate pine forests cover the higher altitudes up to a height of 2000 m. Beyond 2000 m, the vegetation comprises of dry sub-alpine scrubs.

Numerous African and European bird species are found in the Canary Islands. Some of the species are endemic to the archipelago such as the blue chaffinch found in Gran Canaria and Tenerife and red-billed chough found in La Palma.

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