When most think of rodents, they think of things like the infamous black rat and it’s fleas, the verminous plague bringers of the world. This is unfair on all fronts, including the idea of them being small, as some can get sizeable. The largest today is the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), a relative of the Guinea pig and likewise found in South America, quite commonly too.
Author: Sirenia
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!All reviews by this author
Snow Leopard, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
4 (1 votes)
Happy holidays to all, and welcome to this year’s first “Winter Wonderland”! At the moment though, it is also the last, as I kinda used up all I had for it last year. But, something is better than nothing, so here is a creature of the frozen heights of the Himalayas, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia).
Marabou Stork, Pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
4 (3 votes)
When a toyline picks it’s species, it is best to be as diverse as possible. Sure you can go for the same old lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), but people, especially collectors, will often grab things that are rarely done or look interesting. Noah’s pals has been a good example of this.
Magpie Goose (Yowies Series 4 by Cadbury)
3.5 (2 votes)
Some may read the title and think “what is that?! A freak of nature? Science creating some hideous hybrid?!!?!?” The answer is more interesting: the Magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) is the last of a family of waterfowl, the Anseranatidae, which is a living fossil from the KPg boundary.
Grey Fantail (Yowies Series 2 by Cadbury)
3.5 (2 votes)
The pygostyle is an amazing evolutionary adaptation. The fusion of several vertebrae allows for some amazing tail fans, allowing birds to perform incredible displays in mating displays. One group that exemplifies this are fantails, named for their large tail feathers, allowing the males to display elegantly to females. One such example is the Grey fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa), a small insectivore from Australia, along with the Solomon islands, New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
Giant Moa (Yowies Lost Kingdoms Series A by Cadbury)
3 (3 votes)
The largest bird today is the Ostrich, and this is owing to it’s flightlessness. The recent past, however, provided greater flightless giants. One such came from New Zealand, in the form of the South island Giant Moa, Diornis robustus, with females able to reach up to 11ft 10″ if they stretched up, being 6ft 6″ on a horizontal plane.
Kea (Yowies Series 3 by Cadbury)
3 (2 votes)
Parrots are an amazing group of birds. Whilst most think of them as brightly coloured tropical birds that repeat phrases, they are actually some of the most intelligent animals on the planet, ranking high among birds, along with corvids. And yes, while parrots like the macaws are brightly coloured, many are primarily green, matching their environment.
Jaguar, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
2 (4 votes)
In the forests of South America, is an incredible and capable killer. With a camouflaged pelt, acute senses and a powerful bite that allows it to crush turtle carapaces and mammal skulls, it is famed for power and features in many myths and legends of the region. This animal is the Jaguar (Panthera onca), and despite the problems from hunting for it’s pelt, it is still among us across South America, though in many areas it’s numbers are incredibly low, hence why, in the Noah’s Pals line, it is part of the “vulnerable” line, limited to 20,000 pairs.
Caribbean Monk Seal (Yowies Forgotten friends Series A by Cadbury)
3.5 (2 votes)
Human greed is a catastrophic thing for the world. It results in pollution and destruction of the environment, and the loss of many, many amazing creatures. One such example is the Caribbean Monk Seal, a docile creature that lived around the Caribbean islands. These animals were hunted by visitors to the island, often for their fur and oil.
Vampire Squid (MIU Deep Sea Odyssey 1 by Kaiyodo)
5 (2 votes)
For this review, I deep dive for our October scary theme, and talk of blood sucking horrors, Vampires. In the deepest parts of the ocean, where even the sun fears to shine, live creatures of a frightening and ghoulish nature. One of these creatures floats silently through the waters, looking for prey to devour.
Giant Anteater (Wild Life America by Schleich)
3.5 (11 votes)
The evolution and adaptation of one group can result in a burst of adaptation in other, completely different ones. Take the adaptation of eusocial insects, forming colonies, hives and the like. This is a largely Cenozoic adaptation, not well documented before the extinction of the dinosaurs. Forming together can help, but it can be the opportunity for a feeding frenzy for another.
Dromedary, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
2.5 (2 votes)
Well, here we are. We have reached the end of Summer, and of the “Savanah Summer” series of reviews. Still, while it is still here, we can enjoy the summer sun with one last review. Heading to the north of Africa, we see masters of life in the sand and heat, the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius).
Fennec Fox (Wild life Africa by Schleich)
3.7 (9 votes)
Back to the “Savanah Summer”, and heading to north Africa to see one of the carnivores of Africa. While most will think of the big cats when it comes to carnivorans in Africa, be it Lions and Cheetahs and Leopards, oh my (I know, it’s not as catchy, but roll with it!) but the dogs have their teeth in that part of the world.
Aardvark, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
4 (1 votes)
Time to head to central and southern Africa for this “Savanah Summer”, as we look into an intriguing omnivore. The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is the last of the order Tubulidentata, it is a burrowing, nocturnal creature, feeding on ants, termites and the Aardvark cucumber, they are an amazing species, with it’s pig like nose for digging out insects.
Common Eland (Plastic Zoo Series by Britains)
3.5 (2 votes)
Welcome back to another “Savanah Summer”!! Over the years, companies across the globe have produced many different species, from Starlux to Safari Ltd. One of the older lines to do this is Britains, a British company that have made all sorts, from toy soldiers to farm and zoo species. They produced some very interesting species, such as this one; the common eland (Taurotragus oryx), the second largest antelope in the world, second to only the Giant Eland.