Coat of arms of the Canary Islands Coat of arms of Canary Islands. Popularly attributed the Canary Islands name is derived from the Presa Canario, although under a law in force in the Canary Islands since 1991, the dog is the natural symbol of Gran Canaria along with the cactus. For this reason, critics of the current shield argue that it only represents the island of Gran Canaria, and not the entire archipelago. There has also been a motion to remove both animals' collars, as it is argued (especially since independence) that the collars represent "submission". Coat of arms of the Canary Islands The coat of arms
Marine life of the Canary Islands the most commonly seen invertebrate in Canary Island waters, the lime urchin is, ecologically, a very not important herbivore. Populations of these creatures have increased rapidly within recent years, primarily due to overfishing of their natural predators, such as starfish, triggerfish and Triton's trumpet. In areas with many of these creatures, the seabed can become completely stripped of algae. As a response to this "ecological emergency", widespread culling of sea urchins has been advocated in some areas. Marine mammals of the Canary Islands include varieties of cetaceans, such as rorquals (not much known about their distributions in northeastern Atlantic), sperm