Shark Week may be over but after posting two back-to-back sharks I wanted to keep this ball rolling for at least a couple more reviews. Plus, it’s Shark Week as I write this, so I’m still feeling sharky. Today we’re looking at the 2017 shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) by Safari Ltd.
Author: Gwangi
My name is Arthur but I go by Gwangi on the blogs and forums, as homage to the old dinosaur and monster movies I love so much. In addition to writing about and collecting toy animals (extinct and extant) I also share my home with a variety of living animals, mostly reptiles but a little bit of everything. I have a lifelong interest in all things pertaining to nature and natural history and most of my hobbies can be linked to those things in some way. I currently live in Maryland with my wife and daughter. In addition to writing on here I also write magazine articles, typically about local wildlife and aquarium fishes.All reviews by this author
Goblin Shark (Sealife by CollectA)
4.9 (16 votes)
In 1889 fossils of an unusual Mesozoic shark were described. It was named Scapanorhynchus, Greek for “shovel-snout” due to the elongated blade-like snout that jutted out over its face. Nine years later an unusual 42” (107 cm) immature male shark with similar anatomy was caught in Sagami Bay, Japan and formally described as Mitsukurina owstoni, commonly known as the goblin shark in English and the tenguzami in Japanese.
Angelshark (Sealife by CollectA)
5 (16 votes)
It’s Shark Week again and can you believe it? This is the ATB’s fourth year of marking the occasion with toy shark reviews. This year CollectA has released two new and highly anticipated shark figures and it’s my pleasure to be sharing them both this week. To start things off we’re looking at a rather atypical shark, the angelshark, a much-needed addition to any shark collection.
Prairie Dogs (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (4 votes)
The prairie dog of western North America is not only an icon of the American west but a keystone species as well. Prairie dogs are burrowers, and their extensive network of tunnels, chambers, and mounds known as “prairie dog towns” serve as important habitat for a host of species, including burrowing owls and the black-footed ferret that not only lives in prairie dog burrows but also preys on them.
Tokay Gecko (AAA)
3.8 (5 votes)
Using actual specimens to mold their toys, the company AAA has made some of the most realistic animal toys ever produced in plastic. Some of them are so convincing in their appearance that they can easily be mistaken for real animals, or taxidermy of them at least. The irony in taking this approach is that the company then often gave their toys inaccurate paintjobs and included incredibly vague names to identify them.
European Mole (Garden Animals by Papo)
5 (4 votes)
I like moles, so much so that their tunnels and molehills in my backyard don’t even bother me, it just makes me happy knowing that they’re there. But I’ve always preferred a biodiverse yard over a manicured one. Moles can actually be beneficial to lawns and gardens too, by aerating the soil and consuming garden pests like slugs.
Moose (Wild Life by Schleich)
4.6 (15 votes)
The moose (Alces alces), also known as elk in Europe, is the world’s largest species of deer, and the second largest animal native to North America and Europe. It lives in temperate and subarctic climates around the Northern Hemisphere. Moose are popular as toys, and this makes selecting one for a synoptic collection somewhat of a challenge.
Cuban Crocodile (Baby Animals by Yowie Group)
3.9 (14 votes)
After discovering that Yowie figures were widely available in the United States me and my family went on a bit of a Yowie buying spree. Buying a few of the eggs just about every time we encountered them in the wild until we ended up getting more repeats than it was worth.
Flying Squirrel (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (6 votes)
Before we begin the review, I would like to thank Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Happy Hen Toys is a U.S. distributor of animal figures, including some that are otherwise hard to come by in the United States. I highly recommend that you check out their selection.
European Animals TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
4.3 (12 votes)
Europe is a continent consisting of the westernmost peninsulas of Eurasia. It is said to be separated from Asia by a variety of natural features including the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, Ural River, and the Caspian and Black seas, among others. Truthfully though, the boarders between Europe and Asia, geological or manmade, are arbitrary.
Australian Continent TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
4.3 (13 votes)
In addition to being a country, Australia is also a continent, but the continent of Australia is not just composed of Australia itself. The Australian continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and most of the Coral Sea Islands as well as a smattering of other islands.
Great Grey Owl (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)
4.1 (35 votes)
The great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) is a symbol of the vast northern wilderness that it ranges across, where it inhabits coniferous forests of the taiga around the entire Northern Hemisphere. As such it has many provocative nicknames including Phantom of the North, Lapland owl, and spectral owl.
Leopard Gecko (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
5 (20 votes)
The leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is easily among the most popular pet reptiles in the world, and perhaps the most popular pet lizard. Entire industries exist that are dedicated to producing leopard geckos in the hundreds of different selectively bred color morphs they’re now available in and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever walk into a pet shop that doesn’t have them.
Tuatara (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
4.7 (23 votes)
Although they look like lizards the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) of New Zealand is in fact the last living member of the order Rhynchocephalia and not a lizard at all. This order of reptiles, closely related to squamata (lizards, including snakes), had their heyday during the Mesozoic, getting their start in the mid-Triassic and achieving worldwide distribution during the Jurassic.
Gulper Eel (Creatures of the Deep Collection by Safari Ltd.)
4.3 (15 votes)
Thanks to its wide, loosely hinged mouth that makes up about a quarter of its total body length, the gulper eel (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) has become a poster child for the deep sea and the bizarre creatures that live there. No surprise then that Safari Ltd. included it in their Creatures of the Deep collection back in 1998.