Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Spotted or laughing hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are masterful hunters of the African savannah that kill up to 95% of their food as opposed to scavenging it. They have the largest group sizes and the most complex social behaviour of any member of the order Carnivora.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Sea turtles are majestic animals. They have been on this planet since the Jurassic period and are still swimming our seas today. When other marine reptiles like the ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs went extinct by the KT mass extinction, the oceans were left with just snakes, turtles, the marine iguana, and saltwater crocodiles.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
No animal is more associated with Canada than the beaver (Castor canadensis). Many First Nations tribes from the Haida to the Cree to the Mi‘kmaq include it in their legends, usually emphasizing the animal’s industrious nature. Moreover, the fur trade, which began in the 16th century and upon which the entire nation was built, was based primarily on beaver pelts.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Amongst the suborder of Serpentes (Snakes) with their quite uniform body plan, rattlesnakes make a somewhat exotic difference. Few species of snakes have keeled or largely overlapping scales which give the rattlesnakes’ skin a rather coarse appearance, some species even have small horns above their eyes, and all have small ridges above their eyes which bestows them the sinister look of all vipers.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
In the waters of New Zealand, Mia scans her surroundings. She sees a colony of New Zealand fur seals. She is the largest predatory shark, and although the tigers, bluntnose sixgills, great hammerheads, and sleeper sharks can reach similar lengths, they are outweighed by the great white (Carcharodon carcharias).
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Evolution has created a lot of weird organisms and there is no place stranger to find them than in the oceans and seas: the five-eyed Opabinia, the recently described eagle shark Aquilolamna, the various deep sea life like the goblin shark and the telescope fish.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The Sasquatch (Megapodapithecus krantzi), more popularly known as Bigfoot, is one of only two apes (the other being Homo sapiens) known to inhabit the North American continent. It is also one of the world’s largest primates, with adult males regularly growing to well over two metres in height and 227 kg (500 lbs) in weight.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Animals with misleading names are baffling and humorous at the same time. There is the great white shark, which is about 80% gray, the bearcat, which is neither a bear nor a cat, A red panda isn’t a panda, a horny toad isn’t a toad, the list goes on.
Review and images by Birdsage; edited by bmathison1972
Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) are the subject of several myths that put it in danger. It is sometimes thought that they are an invasive species not indigenous to Hawaii, but brought there by humans in very recent history.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Amongst the mammals the typical human is familiar with, the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) holds a firm place. It is just so different from the rest of its class, that even young kids usually know it. While few zoos keep this strange animal for its not-so-easily-satisfied diet, its popularity is held up by its frequent appearance in books, media, and as toys.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The Batoidea are a diverse group of fish classified within the class Chondricthyes, like their shark cousins, although nowhere near as popular, which is a shame as there are many charismatic species of rays including the butterfly ray, banjo ray, giant guitarfish, and the torpedo rays/numbfish.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
When it comes to cats on the African savanna, those that comes to mind to most people are the lions, leopards, and cheetahs. There are other cats that people don’t think off, like the caracal or the subject of this review, the serval (Leptailurus serval).
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Today I want you to introduce to a really nasty looking fish, the Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) or seawolf. Few people know this fish, although a lot have probably eaten it as part of those fish dishes that do not specify a certain species of fish, as the famous “fish and chips” on the British Islands for example.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Over the last few years, various companies have given us a whole slew of fish figures: Yujin with their accurate depictions of the Finding Nemo characters, along with some obscure species like the pineapple fish in their first Saltwater Fish in Colour set; Kaiyodo pumping out obscure fish species like the dorado, Kidako moray, and the Clark’s anemone fish for their Aquatales lines; Colorata with their various fish sets: the Fossil Fish and Deep Sea Fish sets are two examples; Safari Ltd.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Colorata is a Japanese company that has been around for several decades. The internet and global market made their models available to the world outside Asia and the quality of their products made them desirable collector items. A lot of Colorata’s figures have been released as parts of a box, set, of which there are quite a lot to choose from, “fossil fish”, birds of prey, sharks, dinosaurs, cats and a lot more.
