Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972 Contrary to their common name, killer whales (Orcinus orca), also known as orcas, are a species of oceanic dolphin, although they can be considered whales as all dolphins are considered whales but not all whales are dolphins. They are the largest of all dolphins, reaching lengths of …
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972 The Konik is a breed of pony (Equus ferus caballus) native to Poland. It is a solid and sturdy beast with a low set neck, a relatively short height of slightly over 13 hands (140 cm), and a weight of 350-400 kg (770-880 lbs). During World War …
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972 After the kangaroo, the most famous and beloved Australian animal has to be the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) with its thick fur, round face, prominent nose, and even more prominent ears. Not surprisingly then, the humble marsupial has enjoyed a huge abundance of toys, mostly plush ones, but …
Today will offer another look at this iconic member of the African safari, the hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius). Hippos were historically proposed to be relatives of pigs due to molar patterns; however molecular evidence reveals that cetaceans are the closest extant relatives of hippos. These two groups form a clade that diverged from ruminants 60 million …
So, here we are, the final review of my “Winter Wonderland” series, and we conclude with perhaps the greatest of mammals to walk the ice and snow of the world: the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). These hypercarnivourous bears roam the Arctic circle, hunting prey on the snowy tundra, the largest of the bears. Sadly, due …
The “Winter Wonderland” shows many animals adapted to the cold, be it as a result of Bergman’s rule or for animals that change based on the season. Here, we see an example of the latter, the fallow deer (Dama dama), a Eurasian deer, found across Europe and introduced across the globe. Once again, we have …
Continuing the “Winter Wonderland” series, we are going into the highest elevations of the world, as we look at a figure of one of the rarest cats in the world, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia). These beautiful cats are found across the mountainous regions of central and south Asia, hunting across the Tibetan Plateau and …
Review and images by Saarlooswolfhound; edited by bmathison1972 The Papo “Jackal”, #50259 was released in 2020 and is currently in production. It is part of the Wild Animal collection from Papo. The figure itself measures approximately 2.2 in. in length and 2 in. tall (5.58 cm in length and 5.08 cm tall). The determination of …
Once more, we tread into the “Winter Wonderland” With a magnificent creature. The frozen north is full of cervids, better known as deer, from moose to fallow deer. One famous member, found in North America and Europe, is the elk (Cervus canadensis), one of the largest mammals in North America and one of the largest …
An adaptable, intelligent animal, the wild boar (Sus scrofa) was already a successful species long before it was domesticated and transplanted around the world by humans in the form of the domestic pig (S. scrofa domesticus). Naturally, they range across Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa, where they thrive in a variety of habitats. Because of …