Review and images by suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) was one of the largest woodpeckers in the world and certainly the largest to inhabit North America. Tragically, after relentless decades of hunting, pollution, and deforestation, this magnificent bird is largely believed to have gone the way of the thylacine and the quagga.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Today I want to introduce you to the figure of another instantly recognizable bird. But again, despite its worldwide popularity, the choice of figures is comparably few. The more welcomed is CollectA’s 2015 release.
“Kiwi” derives from the native Maori language and – as quite common in bird names – refers to the call of the animal.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
The giant toucan or toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) is one of those unmistakable birds almost anyone recognizes even with no ornithological background at all. There are a number of models to choose from generally, although quite a number are hard to come by and the quality is mixed.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Of all the creatures in the world’s oceans, none are more bizarre and more terrifying to behold than those that dwell in the darkest depths where the light does not penetrate. Seven of these strange species are to be found in the 2014 Deep Sea Creatures TOOB courtesy of Safari Ltd.
Review and images by Takama; additional text by Jetoar and bmathison1972
Mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata) are my favorite ducks. So I am glad Safari Ltd. made one for their Wings of the World collection in 2008.
Mandarin ducks are native to East Asia and Japan, with feral populations established in Great Britain, Germany, and in North Carolina and California in the U.S.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), also known as the Greenland right whale, is the bearer of multiple titles: largest Arctic denizen, largest mouth of any animal, thickest blubber of any animal, and longest baleen plates of any cetacean. It is also thought to be the longest living of all mammals, with a maximum lifespan of more than 200 years!
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
In recent years, an uncommon and elusive animal reached quite a reputation, especially due to an increase of advertisement as “the most trafficked animal you didn`t know existed”. Although pangolins have existed in the form of toy animals at least since the early 80’s, and have quite impressive appearances in children’s animal books as by famous Rinaldo D.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
A truly iconic beast, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the biggest of all extant bears, the undisputed master of the Great North, and the image on one side of the two dollar coin in my home and native land of Canada.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Thanks to its wonderful whiskers and tusks, the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is the most unique and recognizable out of all the 33 extant pinnipeds. Many toys of this massive beast have been made over the decades; here we shall be examining the Wild Safari Sealife version from 2005.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is perhaps the most familiar of all the eared seals due to its popularity in zoos and aquariums as well as its range across most of the western coastline of North America. Intelligent and adaptable, it is just as comfortable resting on a man-made structure, such as the famous Pier 39 in San Francisco, as it is on a remote sandy beach.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
A fairly typical member of the earless or “true” seal family, the spotted seal (Phoca largha) inhabits the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean. Its range includes the Yellow Sea off China, which may have been a factor in CollectA’s decision to make not one, but two toys of it in 2014.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The only purely herbivorous marine mammal, the dugong (Dugong dugon) forms the order Sirenia along with the three species of manatee. It is believed to have been the inspiration for the legend of mermaids, although I reckon the sailors who sighted a dugong back in those days had to have been either extremely lonely or extremely inebriated to mistake its visage for that of an alluring woman.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
The superb bird-of-paradise or greater Lophorina (Lophorina superba) of New Guinea is a somewhat inconspicuous species among the group of Paradisaeidae. Unlike a lot of other species, the males are just black with a bit iridescent blue color on the breast and top of the head, no obvious elongate feathers or other striking coloration.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
While a lot of people would describe a lot of animals as “ugly” or “disgusting”, those words are rarely attributed to the large group of birds. When applied, those terms most often hit the varied group of carrion-feeding birds like vultures. But also these have a somewhat majestic appearance, at least when gliding through their aerial kingdom.
Images by Takama; additional text by bmathison1972
This caracal (Caracal caracal) figure was produced by Yowie Group (=Yowie USA) in their Premier Series, which was the relaunch of the popular Yowie line.
The caracal is a small to medium-sized cat endemic to savannas, dry forests, and grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, and Central Asia, as well as coastal North Africa.
