T-shirts photographed in gift shops in the Santo Domingo airport (left and center), and a guy wearing a Punta Cana iguana t-shirt photographed during a layover in Atlanta (right).
We’ve previously discussed how difficult it is to find gifts featuring anoles (aside from some cafepress fare). Even more depressing is the fact that introduced green iguanas (Iguana iguana) are regular features on gift shop fare in the Dominican Republic, a country with one of the coolest of all anole faunas. Heck, there aren’t even shirts with the native rock iguanas (Cyclura)! We really need to recruit an entrepreneur to start making Dominican paraphenalia featuring endemic wildlife.
Latest posts by Rich Glor (see all)
- JMIH 2014: Early Records of Fossil Anolis from the Oligocene and Miocene of Florida, USA - August 13, 2014
- JMIH 2014: Relative Contribution of Genetic and Ecological Factors to Morphological Differentiation in Island Populations of Anolis sagrei - August 7, 2014
- JMIH 2014: The Ultrastructure of Spermatid Development within the Anole, Anolis sagrei - August 5, 2014
Robert Powell
Same problem (non-native Green Iguanas dominating tourist items) occurs pretty much everywhere I’ve been in the Neotropics, including places with native Green Iguanas that look different than those on t-shirts and other items. I think some entrepreneur (probably in China or South Florida, where they also grace many t-shirts) has a couple of Green Iguana patterns onto which he stamps various place names to which he then distributes generic Green Iguana shirts. Sure would like to see an Anole (A. baorucoensis or ricordii) on a shirt in the DR.
Hispanioland
Yes, we don’t fall short of inspiration at all from the stars of our native herpetofauna. Besides being a conservation tool, it is also a good idea for local businesses!