Review and images by Fembrogon; edited by bmathison1972
Turtles and tortoises don’t seem to get the same bad rap their reptilian relatives have historically suffered; perhaps their slower nature, omnivorous diets, and long lifespans have endeared themselves to human sensibilities better. Not all testudines are harmless, however, and as a kid who liked his predators, I was always most enamored with the big-beaked, carnivorous snapping turtles.
The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is the largest frog species native to North America and a member of the Ranidae, or true frog, family. Bullfrogs are native to most of eastern North America but have been introduced elsewhere in North America and around the world. Bullfrogs are bold and voracious feeders, eating anything that moves in front of them that they can fit in their mouths.
Review of the Australia’s Deadliest Nature Tube, by K&M International for the Wild Republic line. The set was released in 2018. To be honest, I bought this set specifically for the three arthropods, since I am a completist when it comes to arthropods identifiable to the species level. However, now that I am building a Synoptic Collection, I thought I could use the octopus too.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus), not to be confused with the blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus), is a requiem shark found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Like the overwhelming majority of sharks, it has never been rendered as a plastic toy (at least as far as I can tell), but it has been made into a plush one courtesy of Wild Republic.
Where plastic toys often fail in species diversity plush toys seem to shockingly excel. The Wild Republic line of plush animals is a major player in the plush animal game and responsible for much of this diversity. Although I don’t collect plush animals I do have a young daughter, as well as an eye for quality toys, so our house has a lot of these plush animals sitting around, including the 54” (137 cm) blue rock rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus) we’ll be looking at today.
Review and images by Sam; edited by bmathison1972
Just recently, I went on a vacation to New York City, where I was born and raised, and during this vacation, I visited the Staten Island Zoo, one of my favorite zoos of all time. To commemorate this trip, I knew I had to stop in the gift shop.
It was August 16th, 2004, a dry hot and sunny day. I was working as a farmhand in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. On that particular day I was driving a tractor down an old dusty dirt lane running between two pastures used for grazing beef cattle. The tractor was an Allis Chalmers WD model produced some time in the 1940-50’s.
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
The blog will now take its first look into the epaulette shark species. Epaulette sharks belong to the genus Hemiscyllium, composed of nine formally described species, with one having yet to be described. This genus belongs to the Orectolobiformes order of sharks, commonly described as ‘’carpet sharks’’, which also includes nurse and whale sharks.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Who hasn’t heard of the legendary giant squid (Architeuthis dux)? From Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Peter Benchley’s Beast (fun read, that one!) and to countless artistic depictions of epic underwater clashes with sperm whales, it certainly has quite the reputation as a genuine sea monster.
Review and images by Birdsage; edited by bmathison1972
Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) are the subject of several myths that put it in danger. It is sometimes thought that they are an invasive species not indigenous to Hawaii, but brought there by humans in very recent history.
So, it’s Shark Week again and once more I rise up from my own thing to bring in a couple of unusual shark models. Because I can never just bring up a more familiar figure because that’s too easy! So I’m going to look at a tiny little figure that just happens to represent a pretty tiny shark!
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) is one of the most distinctive and beautiful rays. It also adapts well to captivity, making it a frequent resident of public aquariums and zoos. I acquired this plush version at the Toronto Zoo back when they had a temporary exhibit of rays.
Today it is my great pleasure to introduce you to one of my all time favorite turtle species, the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata). Since no one has produced this species in plastic I am forced to review a plush specimen instead [EDIT: Apparently there is a spotted turtle by Play Visions that was also re-released by Yujin].
With spring fast approaching throughout the northern hemisphere I thought it would be fun to review one of the season’s most famous harbingers, the spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer). Of course, the species is only famous if you happen to live within its range, which happens to be the eastern portion of North America, from eastern and central Canada, south to eastern Texas and every state east of the Mississippi.
It must be Shark Week, one of those times that is able to get my to write again! And as seems to be my way, I’ll be looking at a more obscure figure of a more obscure shark species from a more obscure series, the Swellshark made by K&M International for their bulk Shark set.
