Canary Islands La Gomera taking 1000 captives to be sold as slaves. Another noteworthy attack occurred in 1797, when Santa Cruz de Tenerife was attacked by a British fleet under Horatio Nelson on 25 July. The British were repulsed, losing almost 400 men. It was during this battle that Nelson lost his right arm. The sugar-based economy of the islands faced stiff competition from Spain's American colonies. Low prices in the sugar market in the 19th century caused severe recessions on the islands. A new cash crop, cochineal ("cochinilla"), came into cultivation during this time, saving the islands' economy. During this time
La Gomera giant lizard Bischoff (1998) synonymized them to a single taxon. Barbadillo "et al." (1999) decided for "bravoana" when they elevated the taxon to species rank. Nogales "et al." (2001) concurred as regards species status, but used "Gallotia gomerana". Following the ruling of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, "gomerana" is a junior synonym or "bravoana". It is not unequivocally accepted that it does constitute a distinct species; however, in all likelihood, "G. simonyi" is its closest living relative. La Gomera giant lizard The La Gomera giant lizard ("Gallotia bravoana"; ) is a lacertid (wall lizard) species that can be found on the