So here we are–the final figure in the Tennessee Aquarium series from Safari, the only figure released after 1995 (1997 to be exact). This is the common mudpuppy Necturus maculosus, number 210672, probably the hardest to find one and, when stacked together, the largest and most imposing by a wide margin.
Author: sbell
Hey, my name is Sean, known as SBell on this and many other forums. I have a background in physical anthropology and vertebrate palaeontology but I don’t do any of that now. I have been a dedicated animal figure collector for over 25 years, with a focus on freshwater, prehistoric and unusual fishes (sometimes there’s overlap!); prehistoric mammals; other interesting prehistoric animals; and modern carnivores (especially hyenas), but I will also pick up almost anything that appeals to me (I recently realized that includes salamanders...huh). I used to run an online figure store for a while, then transitioned that into a personal blog about my figures there as well. Recently, that blog was adopted into the ATB/DTB umbrella and can now be found here, mostly as a curated site so that it isn't lost (you can find it here now) When I’m not taking endless photos of my figures for posts or managing my ridiculous collection database I spend time taking care of the fish tank (polypterids rule!), being with the family, and trying to get outside before the Canadian winter forces us inside.All reviews by this author
Northern Crested Newt (Tennessee Aquarium Salamander Collection by Safari Ltd.)
5 (7 votes)
For the first time since I introduced the Tennessee Aquarium salamander figures with the fire salamander we are going back to Europe, the northern crested newt, Triturus cristatus, and this is also the last European species in the series. This one is item number 210572, the sixth and final figure in the original 1995 releases–and the penultimate figure in the series overall.
Yonahlossee Salamander (Tennessee Aquarium Salamander Collection by Safari Ltd.)
5 (6 votes)
Here is one more lungless plethodontid salamander from the official Tennessee Aquarium series, the yonahlossee salamander Plethodon yonahlossee, item number 210472. Probably the figure with the most distinctive colours, it may also be one of the salamander figures with the longest lasting presence on the various Safari lines overall.
Marbled Salamander (Tennessee Aquarium Salamander Collection by Safari Ltd.)
5 (7 votes)
The next figure to discuss from the Safari Tennessee Aquarium is the marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum, item number 210372. This is pretty much the smallest figure in the series, which is fitting as the marbled salamander is relatively small for it’s genus. Unlike the last few salamander figures we’ve looked at, this species is a member of the Ambystomatidae, the mole and giant salamanders; Ambystoma is the mole salamanders.
Red Salamander (Tennessee Aquarium Salamander Collection by Safari Ltd.)
5 (5 votes)
The next figure to look at from Safari’s Tennessee Aquarium Salamander collection is the red salamander, Pseudotriton ruber, series number 210272. It represents a species that is fairly widespread in the United States east of the Mississippi river, from New York state south to Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia.
Green Salamander (Tennessee Aquarium Salamander Collection by Safari Ltd.)
5 (7 votes)
Now for a review of another of the Tennessee Aquarium salamander models from Safari, this time the green salamander Aneides aeneus, product number 210172 in the line. Green salamanders are notable for a few features, not least of which is their distinctive green colour; this species is the only salamander in North America with green colouration.
Pyjama Shark (Return to Isle of Jaws by Discovery Science)
3.8 (8 votes)
Hard to believe it’s already Shark Week again! And while I don’t usually follow the TV version, it’s always a good time to pull out something shark related from the collection and celebrate this awesome group of animals. For my contribution, I am going to look at a figure from a Discovery Science set called Return to Isle of Jaws that was made in conjunction with a Shark Week show of the same name.
Fire Salamander (Tennessee Aquarium Salamander Collection by Safari Ltd.)
5 (6 votes)
After so many fish, it was time to take on a group of animals that I’m less familiar with…from a set that is either a holy grail for collectors (if they missed it), or a treasured part of the collection (if they didn’t miss it!) It’s a series of salamanders and newts produced by Safari Ltd in association with the Tennessee Aquarium.
Asian Arowana (Monster Fish by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.)
5 (2 votes)
After recently discussing some Takara figures from a Monster Fish set (…the Fishing Wars) I thought I’d go into some others. So I am looking at the pair of Asian arowana figures from an earlier Takara Tomy series…also called Monster Fish (!?) but not fishing themed I guess? In fact the theme is pretty loose (the other two figures are deep sea fish…) I don’t actually have those other two, but I do like bonytongue figures.
Alligator Gar (Mini Ancient Fish Series 1 by Bandai)
5 (6 votes)
Back with another Bandai ‘Mini Ancient Fish’ model, but this time from series 1. As it is, it’s the only figure I have from this particular set, but it went without saying that I would add another alligator gar Atractosteus spatula to the collection! Like the more recent Series 2 (of which I have the whole set and have already discussed) the hallmarks of the series were there in the first series.
Electric Eel (Dangerous Creatures by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.)
3.8 (5 votes)
Back again with another fish from Takara, from yet another series. This one is the electric eel Electrophorus electricus (probably…a few species were separated from E. electricus in 2019, but this is the most likely species for the figure based on appearance and general familiarity). As the set name implies, it featured animals that shared the characteristic of being dangerous (to people).
Chinese Sturgeon (Mini Ancient Fish Series 2 by Bandai)
4.8 (4 votes)
This figure represents the fifth and final model in the Mini Ancient Fish series 2 from Bandai. In this case, it a fish well-known as ‘ancient’, a Chinese sturgeon Acipenser sinensis. Sturgeons are well known as primitive fish, with the order Acipenseriformes represented in the Jurassic, and the earliest member of the sturgeon family Acipenseridae being known from the late Cretaceous, included in the same genus Acipenser (although it is believed that this genus is paraphyletic–so the taxonomy could change).