I'm Daniel Waite (aka ‘Sirenia’ on the Animal Toy Blog/Forum and ‘Indohyus’ on the Dinosaur Toy Blog/Forum). Ever since I was young, I would love any chance to see animals. Whether it’s visiting Safari parks, zoos, farms or local parks, I would love seeing animals around, doing what they did. Though I skewed towards ancient species later on, I still kept my love for extant species alive. I’ve had many pets, including dogs (my greyhound River is in the photo), cats, ferrets, mice and goldfish. I liked collecting many animal figures over the years, often from my trips to zoos and safari parks, resulting in a vast menagerie of models. As a result, my reviews can come with a heavy feeling of nostalgia. Hope you enjoy!
Well, here we are. Another “Savanah Summer” draws to a close. Nights are drawing in and temperatures slowly drop. But we have time for one last review from the African plains. And we look at one of the speedsters of the savannah: the Gazelle, curtesy of AAA.
As it is only referred to as a Gazelle, we need to discern species.
When it comes to the predators of the African plains, the “Savanah Summer” always offers a variety, no matter how you rate them. The biggest? The lion. Most numerous? The hyena (ok, not done yet, but one day). But if you were to ask for the most successful, it isn’t a feliform, but a caniform, the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) With their pack hunting, they succeed in near all their hunts.
Another “Savanah Summer” that will see us back into the water, or at least wade through it. After all, though they are known as “water horses”, the Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) does not actually swim like it’s cetacean relatives, more hopping along the bottom of the body of water they are in, so don’t venture into deep water.
Picking subjects for the “Savanah Summer” can often be a tall order. I can often be sticking my neck out trying to pick the best of Africa’s finest. This time though, it’s been easy to choose: I am finally covering the Giraffe (Girrafa camelopardalis). The tallest animals on the planet, these graceful creatures can grow to 18.7 ft tall and are found across Africa.
Another “Savanah Summer” and, much like last year, I’m bringing out the big guns! In Africa, there is no bigger than the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana). At 13ft tall and over 10 tonnes in weight, it is the true heavy weight, and take the title of largest land animal with ease (even though giraffes are taller).
Welcome to another “Savanah Summer”! Being a large continent, there are many places where Africa connects to oceans, in fact both the Pacific and Indian oceans are there. Thus, there is a huge amount of aquatic life, be it mammals, birds and, naturally, fish. Fish never tend to be as popular on toy shelves (unless it’s part of the shark family), so it’s always nice when a company makes more common fish.
Welcome back to the “Savanah Summer”! When it comes to carnivores in Africa, the feliforms are the more famous, be it the speedy cheetah, the stealthy leopard or the infamous hyenas. Most famous, and biggest, of all is, of course, the African Lion (Panthera leo), king of the…..
The days are long, it’s getting warm, there is colour in the trees. It must be summer. And as that’s the case, we see the return of my theme seasons. Welcome, once again, to my “Savanah Summer”!!! Once again. I will travel across Africa, from the Serengeti to the Congo, from plains to coasts, showing figures representing the best this amazing and diverse continent has to offer.
Songbirds are all around us today. So common, that it is hard to believe that any could become extinct. Of course, this is far from the case, as no species lasts forever. Here, we see the Bushwren, a near flightless species found in each of the major islands of New Zealand and many of the smaller islands.
When it comes to catching fish, birds have found many techniques. You having diving kingfishers, spearing herons and skimmers galore. But the birds with the most straight forward approach are the pelicans. With an inflatable gullet, they scoop their prey in, water and all. This has made them quite successful, being found across the globe.
The primate order is an intriguing and diverse group, from monkeys to lemurs, and from great ape to human, they are varied in form. Here, we look at some old world monkeys, one that lacks the long tails and have only short ones. These are Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), primates that exist in both the forests and the Savanah of central-west Africa, living in large groups.
In previous reviews, I have looked at Noah’s Pals domestic dogs, the dalmatian and Labrador. Time I think to look at one of their wild species. Here we look at a North American species, smaller than wolves but just as accomplished: the Coyote (Canis latrans). Living in gregarious packs, they hunt the small rodents and other smaller herbivores of the region they live in, as there are several subspecies.
Easter is here, and whether you see it as a time of worship or to gorge on chocolate, it is a great time of year, celebrating birth and rebirth. This time of year is often associated with fertility, hence the eggs and, of course, rabbits that are seen around this time on shop shelves.
With their gorgeous plumage and startling intelligence, parrots are some of the most incredible birds alive today. While varied, they were once more so. One such place that did, and still does, have an array of parrots is Cuba, home to the species in this review: the Cuban Red Macaw. One of the smallest macaw species, it was brightly coloured and lived on Cuba (unsurprisingly) and the nearby Isla de la Juventud.
The plains of Africa are filled with a magnificent array of wildlife. From majestic lions to humongous elephants, it is a continent with a huge level of biodiversity. But it’s not just the big animals that gain notoriety. The national animal of South Africa is a modest sized animal, a mere 86cm at the shoulders, yet is the symbol of the nation, plus the nickname of their rugby team.
