It is easily distinguishable from any other member of Gallotia by the intense white colour that covers its neck, chest and area around the mouth, in spectacular contrast to its dark brown back.

[8] The current population of the La Gomera giant lizard consists of (2004) 90 individuals remaining in the wild, and a captive stock of about 44 animals.

Nowadays it is found in the Parque Rural de Valle Gran Rey, and the present range is less than one hectare and is restricted to dry cliffs with sparse vegetation.

On La Gomera, a captive breeding programme has been established in order to increase the number of individuals.

[1] In his scientific description, the German zoologist R. Hutterer referred the subfossil remains from La Gomera to two subspecies of Gallotia simonyi with the differences being size related.