Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Of all the creatures in the world’s oceans, none are more bizarre and more terrifying to behold than those that dwell in the darkest depths where the light does not penetrate. Seven of these strange species are to be found in the 2014 Deep Sea Creatures TOOB courtesy of Safari Ltd.
Review and images by Takama; additional text by Jetoar and bmathison1972
Mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata) are my favorite ducks. So I am glad Safari Ltd. made one for their Wings of the World collection in 2008.
Mandarin ducks are native to East Asia and Japan, with feral populations established in Great Britain, Germany, and in North Carolina and California in the U.S.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
In recent years, an uncommon and elusive animal reached quite a reputation, especially due to an increase of advertisement as “the most trafficked animal you didn`t know existed”. Although pangolins have existed in the form of toy animals at least since the early 80’s, and have quite impressive appearances in children’s animal books as by famous Rinaldo D.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
A truly iconic beast, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the biggest of all extant bears, the undisputed master of the Great North, and the image on one side of the two dollar coin in my home and native land of Canada.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Thanks to its wonderful whiskers and tusks, the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is the most unique and recognizable out of all the 33 extant pinnipeds. Many toys of this massive beast have been made over the decades; here we shall be examining the Wild Safari Sealife version from 2005.
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
Architeuthis dux, the giant squid, is one of the most iconic cephalopods known to humanity. It is the longest of the cephalopods and is only surpassed in mass by the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni). Large squid have been described as far back as the fourth century BCE, when Aristotle described the ‘’teuthus’’, a squid larger than the more commonly seen smaller ‘’teuthis’’.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is perhaps the most familiar of all the eared seals due to its popularity in zoos and aquariums as well as its range across most of the western coastline of North America. Intelligent and adaptable, it is just as comfortable resting on a man-made structure, such as the famous Pier 39 in San Francisco, as it is on a remote sandy beach.
In my last review I touched on the diversity of the hammerhead family Sphyrnidae while covering a toy representative of the family’s largest member, the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran). Today we’re covering another member of that family, but one that is quite different from the great hammerhead and from what we think of when we think of hammerheads in general.
Here is a walk-around of the small Safari Ltd Wings of the World 2016 rainbow lorikeet, Trichoglossus moluccanus (Gmelin, 1788); item No. 150229. Total length is approx. 74 mm (if the head and neck would be fully stretched out) so the scale is approx. 1:4. This popular parrot species from eastern Australia has a specialised tongue with elongated papillae (Trichoglossus means “hairy tongue”) which are needed for their mostly liquid or pulpous diet (fruit pulp, nectar, and pollen).
Review and images by suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is by far the biggest of all living turtles and one of the world’s biggest reptiles, exceeded only by a few crocodilians. The largest scientifically verified specimen weighed in at 650 kg (1433 lbs), although it’s quite possible that even larger individuals exist somewhere out there in the deep blue sea.
There are few predators in the world as well equipped for the hunt as members of the cat family. With stealthy bodies, keen senses, and a powerful array of weapons at their disposal, it is no wonder they have spread across the globe, and are often the top predators of their regions.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is perhaps the most typical of the seven species of sea turtle. Its seemingly incongruous name derives from the colour of the fat beneath its shell.
The 2017 Safari Ltd green sea turtle is sculpted with its head turned to the left, its powerful front flippers spread wide apart, and its hind flippers swept back, which makes it 10.5 cm wide by 10.5 cm long.
