Spiny lobsters (family Palinuridae) are not ‘true lobsters’ (family Nephropidae), but along with the true lobsters and the Polychelida form what appears to be a monophyletic clade. The extinct Eryon is also in this clade. In my last blog review I showcased a pair of AAA Maine lobsters and briefly discussed AAA’s casting of actual specimens to produce some of their figures.
Brand: AAA
Quick links
Maine Lobster, large and small (Sea World by AAA)
5 (10 votes)
AAA is well-known for casting figures from actual specimens. They have done it with snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, mollusks, insects, and, the topic of today, crustaceans. Most of these were probably cast from specimens readily available through biological supply companies or possibly wet markets in Asia and other parts of the world.
Common Goldeneye (Large Ducks by AAA)
4.7 (3 votes)
The genus Bucephala contains three species of small diving ducks collectively referred to as goldeneyes. I am lucky that all three species can be found in my area in the winter. The Common Goldeneye (B. clangula) occurs in the boreal Holarctic, wintering throughout North America, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
Blue-winged Teal (Large Ducks by AAA)
5 (5 votes)
Despite sharing the common name ‘teal’, the Blue-winged Teal (BWTE, Spatula discors) is not in the same genus (Anas) as the Green-winged Teal (GWTE) from my earlier review, although it was for a period. The genus Spatula, originally described in 1822 and eventually placed in synonymy with Anas, was resurrected in 2009 after a molecular phylogeny looking at two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2) determined Anas to be non-monophyletic.
Green-winged Teal (Large Ducks by AAA)
5 (7 votes)
The Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) is a small dabbling duck that occurs throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. Historically, the American populations were classified as either a subspecies of the Eurasian teal (A. crecca carolinensis) or as a valid species (A. carolinensis), but now the American and Eurasian populations are lumped into one widespread species.
Bottlenose Dolphin (AAA)
4.1 (12 votes)
Majestic, intelligent, enigmatic, beautiful, elegant. These are all apt adjectives that describe the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), one of the most popular, wide ranging, and recognizable cetaceans in the world. Toy Animal Wiki catalogs 71 different figures of the species but there are easily many more than that.
Tokay Gecko (AAA)
4.1 (7 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.
Gazelle (AAA)
3.8 (11 votes)
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.
African Wild Dog (AAA)
3 (6 votes)
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.
Elephant Bull, Standing (AAA)
4 (5 votes)
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).
Lion, Jumbo (AAA)
2 (3 votes)
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…..
Zebra, Stallion Laughing (AAA)
2.3 (3 votes)
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.