Florida Panthers
The NHL’s Florida Panthers entered the league in 1993 sporting a dynamic image of a leaping panther (Puma concolor) on the fronts of their jerseys. Cognizant of the severely threatened status of their namesake creature, one Panthers fan has thoughtfully provide a web page highlighting links to the not-for profit organizations Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and the Florida Panther Society, and suggests fans of the team send your contributions to support their activities.
In contrast to the stylized symbol of the Carolina Panthers, there actually are panthers in Florida and thought they don’t roar in the fashion of most other big cats they’re not the sort of wildlife one wants to run into while camping, hiking or jogging. Florida Panthers – the animals – have been climbing back from the brink of extinction in recent years while the Florida Panthers hockey team has a more questionable future.
Bowdoin Polar Bears
There may not be any actual Polar Bears roaming the state of Maine outside of a Stephen King novel but there are plenty to be found inside the gates of Bowdoin College in Brunswick where the Bowdoin College Polar Bears compete in the NCAA’s Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference – NESCAC, for short.
The Bowdoin College Polar Bears hockey team hosts rivals at 2,300-seat Sidney J. Watson Arena, a modern facility completed in 2009 and rated as attaining LEED certification. The arena uses 17% less power than comparable arenas, employs an innovative stormwater management system and its showers & washrooms are designed to reduce water consumption by 38%.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the NBA in 1989 and have featured mascot imagery evoking the endangered Eastern Timber Wolf (a subspecies of the Gray wolf) ever since. Wolves are slowly reclaiming their original range in the United States though they’re not considered to be endangered in Canada, and Minnesota boasts one of the country’s largest populations of wild wolves.
In an unusual example of reverse mascot naming (to coin a phrase), the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, named one of their Arctic Wolf pups “Malik” in honor of the late Malik Sealy (above). A fan favorite as a guard for the Timberwolves, Sealy died tragically on May 20th of 2000 when his vehicle was hit by one driven by a drunk driver. Malik the Arctic Wolf was born on May 8th, 2000, and today lives comfortably in “retirement” at the IWC with his brother Shadow.
Gregory Gorillas
Like the Rhino, the imposing and oft-frightening Gorilla has been overlooked by sports teams looking for a mascot. We had to dig deep down to Gregory, South Dakota to find a team that does the greatest of the Great Apes justice: the Gregory Gorillas! The pride of Gregory High School and the 1,295 folks who call Gregory, SD home, the Gorillas play in the 9-AA class and game attendees are greeted by a fierce fiberglass ape when they enter the team’s playing field.
A half-hearted shout-out must be given to “Go”, the Phoenix Suns Gorilla. The NBA team didn’t have a mascot for their first 11 years in the league due to the difficulty in creating a sun suit someone could take seriously. Kudos to Go, however, for his efforts to make up for lost time and wasted opportunities. Now if only the team could change its name to the Phoenix Gorillas.
Bowling Green Cave Shrimp
In 2008, a contest was held to decide the name of the Class-A South Atlantic League affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays which would be located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Though the numerical winner was “Hot Rods”, coming in a close second was the Cave Shrimp. According to Our Sports Central, “Bowling Green’s Mammoth Cave is home to the endangered Kentucky Cave Shrimp, a sightless albino shrimp. The blind cave shrimp has been registered as an endangered species since 1983.” Though “Hot Rods” sounds cool, the team may have blown an interesting promotional and marketing opportunity by not going with Cave Shrimp.
All is not lost for those looking forward to heckling a team named for sightless shrimp though the umpires are probably breathing a collective sigh of relief. Not so fast, shrimp-lovers: in 2009 the team held a “What Could’ve Been Night” with the first 1,000 fans in attendance receiving Bowling Green Cave Shrimp T-shirts – many more shirts were sold – and the scoreboard was adjusted to show the team’s “alternative” name. Next year, Cave Shrimp bobblehead dolls were featured. Come for the game, stay for the Cave Shrimp bobblehead!
Sometimes even the best intentions just aren’t good enough: when it comes to endangered species, you can’t get more endangered than the dinosaurs. Then again, it’s arguable that particular group of species’ extinction ended up being a good thing, all things considered. Hey Toronto Raptors’ mascot, hurry up and get with the program!

