Author: Callmejoe3

All reviews by this author

Whale Shark (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection by Safari Ltd.)

Name(s): Rhincodon, Rhincodon typus, whale shark Brand: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Safari Ltd. Classification: Fish, Sharks, Rays & Kin Type: Figurine Range: Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Oceania, Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean

3.7 (3 votes)

Typically, the most famous sharks are the sensationalized ”man-eaters” like the great white (Carcharodon carcharias) or tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). Instead, our focus will shift to a slow-moving filter-feeder, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). The whale shark belongs to the order of Orectolobiformes, also known as ”carpet sharks”, and is the sole extant member of its family and genus.

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Pacific White-Sided Dolphin (Sealife by CollectA)

Name(s): Lagenorhynchus, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens, Pacific white-sided dolphin Brand: CollectA Classification: Mammals, Whales & Dolphins Type: Figurine

4 (5 votes)

The overrepresentation of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) undermines the real diversity within the Delphinidae family, thus warranting a look at a species like the Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens). This species is endemic to the North Pacific, spanning across Baja California, Southern China, and the Bering Sea.

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American Bison, adult and calf, 2004 (Wild Life America by Schleich)

Name(s): American bison, Bison, Bison bison Brand: Schleich Classification: Cattle, Mammals Type: Baby Animal, Figurine Range: North America

4.8 (5 votes)

Few animals evoke the history of North American wildlife conservation like the American Bison (Bison bison). Prior to colonization, this species had a historical range extending from Eastern and Midwest parts of the United States into the interior of Mexico and Canada. Today it’s more scattered and sparse.

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Manatee, adult and calf (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)

Name(s): Trichechus, Trichechus manatus, West Indian manatee Brand: Safari Ltd., Wild Safari Sealife Classification: Mammals, Manatees & Dugong Type: Baby Animal, Figurine

3.5 (4 votes)

Whales typically dominate the discussion of fully aquatic mammals, though Sirenians should be acknowledged for making the transition around the same time. As oppose to ungulates, these creatures are related to proboscids and hyraxes. Amongst the extant species, there are 3 that belong to the manatee genus (Trichechus).

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Ostrich, 2004 (Wild Life Africa by Schleich)

Name(s): Ostrich, Struthio, Struthio camelus Brand: Schleich Classification: Birds, Flightless Birds Type: Figurine

3 (3 votes)

Even when surrounded by amazing large cats and herbivores that can weigh several tons, the common ostrich (Struthio camelus), does not fail to impress. Ostriches are the largest of the extant land birds alongside other birds of the infraclass, ratites, like emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and cassowaries (Casuarius spp.

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Gray Whale, calf (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection by Safari Ltd.)

Name(s): Eschrichtius, Eschrichtius robustus, gray whale Brand: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Safari Ltd. Classification: Mammals, Whales & Dolphins Type: Baby Animal, Figurine

4.2 (5 votes)

If there’s any cetacean that sets the North Pacific apart from the rest of the world, it’s the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). Gray whales are a very familiar species, as their skin color and overall appearance make them easily distinguishable from other baleen whales. Gray whales have been traditionally placed in their only family from other baleen whales, Eschrichtiidae, based on their morphology.

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Harbor Seal (Wild Life Arctic & Antarctic by Schleich)

Name(s): harbor seal, Phoca, Phoca vitulina Brand: Schleich Classification: Carnivorans, Mammals, Seals, Sea Lions & Walrus Type: Figurine

4 (4 votes)

Of all the pinnipeds, none embody ubiquity quite like the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). This species is also known as the common seal as it’s the most widely distributed species of any seal, sea lion, or walrus. They are found all along the marine coastlines of the Northern hemisphere.

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Green Sea Turtle, 1996 (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)

Name(s): Chelonia, Chelonia mydas, green sea turtle Brand: Safari Ltd., Wild Safari Sealife Classification: Reptiles, Turtles & Tortoises Type: Figurine Range: Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Oceania, Pacific Ocean

1.5 (4 votes)

With the loss of the great Mesozoic marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, and plesiosaurs, turtles remain the most popular reptilian taxa that are recognized for roaming the Earth’s oceans. Seven species currently exist, and among the most popular and longest-studied is the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

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Dolphins TOOB (Safari Ltd.)

4.8 (8 votes)

Oceanic dolphins are among the most fascinating and exciting group of marine mammals. Delphinidae are the most species-rich family of extant cetaceans, with roughly 35 recognized extant species. This lineage arose roughly 10-17 million years ago during the Miocene, branching off from its common ancestor with porpoises and monodontids. This family is very diverse, ranging from the Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) that maxes out at 1.6 meters and 60 kilograms, to the killer whale (Orcinus orca) that can surpass 9 meters and 9 metric tons.

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Sea Otter, pair (Monterey Bay Aquarium by Safari Ltd.)

Name(s): Enhydra, Enhydra lutris, Sea Otter Brand: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Safari Ltd. Classification: Carnivorans, Mammals, Weasles, Otters & Kin Type: Figurine

3.5 (4 votes)

Today’s item will mark the blog’s first post on otters, as we’re covering the sea otter (Enhydra lutris). Sea otters are part of the Lutrinae subfamily of mustelids that includes all of the genera of otters. Three subspecies are recognized between the Asian sea otter in Russia and northern Japan, the northern sea otter in Alaska, and the southern sea otter in California.

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Hippopotamus, male 1996 (Wild Life by Schleich)

Name(s): common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius Brand: Schleich Classification: Hippopotamuses, Mammals Type: Figurine Range: Africa

4.7 (3 votes)

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 years ago and shared a common ancestor over 54 million years ago, with anthracotheres being the stem lineage that hippos evolved from.

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Pygmy Sperm Whale (Sealife by CollectA)

Name(s): Kogia, Kogia breviceps, pygmy sperm whale Brand: CollectA Classification: Mammals, Whales & Dolphins Type: Figurine

4.1 (7 votes)

Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972

Our latest cetacean review will shift its attention to a long-overlooked species, the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). The cetacean clade ‘’Physeteroidea’’, is one of the oldest lineages within the odontocete order. Its only extant members are the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the species within the Kogia genus.

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