Though described from bones and generally considered extinct, sightings and photographic evidence of a large lacertid made in 2007 north of the island could belong to this species.

[6] Remains from La Palma previously assigned to Gallotia goliath seem to belong to this taxon instead; if this is correct, they indicate that the average size of the species has decreased over the last millennia, possibly due to humans hunting the larger lizards.

[7] The sighted La Palma giant lizard individual was slightly more than 30 cm (~1 ft) long and had an estimated age of four years.

[3] Scientists did not have a chance to study living specimens, and present fossil and subfossil material of G. auaritae does not allow for sufficiently detailed analyses of its phylogenetic status.

The main causes of extinction were believed to have been introduced cats, consumption by the original human population of the Canary Islands, and habitat destruction for agriculture.