The beaked whales of the family Ziphiidae are collectively among the most elusive and poorly understood of all cetaceans, or mammals in general. Roughly 24 species have been described so far with the Ramari’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon eueu) having been described in 2021.
Author: Gwangi
All reviews by this author
Groundhog (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
“Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!“
“Now, this second day of February, Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, was awakened from his burrow. In Groundhogese, Phil directed the Inner Circle to his Predictive Scroll.”
And thus begins the Groundhog Day ceremony (roughly) as it has begun each year in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania at Gobbler’s Knob since 1886.
Brahman Cattle, Bull (Farm Time by CollectA)
It may come as a surprise to some to learn that cattle were domesticated more than once from the same ancestor. Most cattle breeds that we’re familiar with are known as taurine, or European cattle (Bos taurus) but there are also the zebu, or humped cattle (Bos indicus).
Berkshire Pig (Safari Farm by Safari Ltd.)
Woodland Caribou (Wildlife by CollectA)
Everyone knows that Santa’s sleigh is pulled by reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) but with 14 extant sub-species currently described has anyone ever wondered what kind of reindeer are pulling it? Probably not. But according to the 1823 poem (which also gave the reindeer their names) A Visit from St.
Giant Squid (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection by Safari Ltd.)
Turkey (Red Rose Tea, Calendar Series VII, by Wade Ceramics)
Collared Peccary (Wild Safari North American Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
Although they look very much like pigs, and are sometimes called New World pigs, peccaries aka javelinas belong to their own distinct family, Tayassuidae. Pigs belong to the family Suidae and about 30 million years of evolution separates the two families that together make up the Suina clade.
White Tiger (Wildlife Asia & Australia by Schleich)
Contrary to popular belief, the white tiger is not its own unique species or sub-species of tiger. In fact, according to Luke Hunter’s Carnivores of the World, all captive white tigers are descended from one wild individual. That individual was a male cub captured in Madhya Pradesh, India, in 1951.
Common Raven (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)
River Monster Collection (Toy Fish Factory)
Thalassophobia is defined as the fear of deep and vast bodies of water, and the unseen creatures that lurk in them. Even if you don’t suffer from this phobia, I dare any person to look out upon the surface of any large body of water and not wonder about what strange and potentially dangerous creatures lurk unseen under its surface.
Chain Kingsnake (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
Continuing onwards with our look at creepy creatures all through October, I present to you… a snake. Snakes as a group are among the most feared and misunderstood creatures on the planet, two adjectives that often go hand-in-hand. As such, snakes are synonymous with Halloween and an obvious choice for review during spooky season.
Southern Bent-Wing Bat (Animals with Superpowers by Yowie Group)
Przewalski’s Horse (Horse Country by CollectA)
Since its release in 2013 I’ve been eyeballing the CollectA Przewalski’s horse (pronounced shuh-VAL-skee and also known as the takhi) for my collection, even though I didn’t really collect extant animals at the time. What I was collecting were dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, and recently extinct animals too.