During the late 1800s, we knew more about the biology of St. Martin than perhaps any other Caribbean island. This was essentially due to one man, Dr. Hendrik van Rijgersma, a physician sent to the island in 1863 to provide medical care to the former slaves after emancipation.
Dr. van Rijgersma was a malacologist (he studied and collected shells), but also contributed specimens of many animals, plants and fossils to museums in Europe and the US. He also made dozens of detailed, and beautiful, watercolors of local plants. He worked with many of the premier scientists of his time, including E.D. Cope, the famed paleontologist and herpetologist. Dr. van Rijgersma died on St. Martin in 1877, but his legacy lives on.
A snake, the Leeward Island Racer (Alsophis rijgersmaei) bears his name in honor of his contributions to science on the island. Sadly, although this snake survives on St. Barth’s and Anguilla, it is thought to be extirpated on St. Martin due to predation by the introduced mongoose.
The story of Dr. van Rijgersma is mirrored by countless others in the Caribbean, including clergy, military officers and others who studied Caribbean biology in addition to their primary career. In the 20th century, biologists began to visit the islands to conduct field work themselves, but even today much of what we know comes from people outside the academic community.
Many thanks to our supporter from yesterday, Alexa de los Reyes. If you would like to support wildlife research and education on St. Martin, we still need your help. We have raised enough funds to produce the book at a reasonable quality, but additional contributions will allow us to expand the book to include more animals and more context about St. Martin, like the story of Dr. van Rijgersma.
You can participate on Kickstarter, and starting at $5 your name will be printed in the book as a supporter of the project.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/420840503/the-incomplete-guide-to-the-wildlife-of-saint-mart
The photo of Dr. van Rijgersma is from the public domain, via wikipedia.
