Hoppy Easter, everybody!
No animal better symbolizes Easter than the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) which was domesticated from the European rabbit (O. cuniculus) at least as early as 1 B.C. The origin of the rabbit in Easter mythology is not completely understood, but it is believed to have started with Germanic Lutherans as a Santa Claus-like figure who judged children as good or disobedient during Eastertide, and rewarded the good ones with colored eggs and candy.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Amongst the suborder of Serpentes (Snakes) with their quite uniform body plan, rattlesnakes make a somewhat exotic difference. Few species of snakes have keeled or largely overlapping scales which give the rattlesnakes’ skin a rather coarse appearance, some species even have small horns above their eyes, and all have small ridges above their eyes which bestows them the sinister look of all vipers.
Review and photos by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Kangaroo reproduction is truly astounding. A mother gives birth after only 33 days of gestation, upon which the jellybean-sized, underdeveloped neonate crawls blindly from the vagina to the pouch. Once inside, it latches on to a teat and continues to grow until it is finally ready to leave the pouch for good after about 235 days.
Review and images by suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The holiday season is upon us once again after what has been a truly difficult and tragic year for everyone on planet Earth. And there are still more hardships lying ahead of us in 2021. We must all stay safe, strong, calm, well-informed, and above all, hopeful.
Review and images by Saarlooswolfhound; edited by bmathison1972
Happy Holidays everyone! Whatever you celebrate this season, I do hope that it is holly and jolly and fun! Just like this special edition Schleich reindeer model (Rangifer tarandus). Released late in the year of 2021 as part of a holiday special release, it is a festive reindeer model.
Review and images by Saarlooswolfhound; edited by bmathison1972
Happy Holidays everybody! How ever you choose to celebrate this season, I hope that you choose to include some plastic animal figures to enjoy. They always seem to brighten my holidays! This year I have selected the new 2022 Schleich special edition reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) #72189 to present here.
When Papo announced their 2024 line-up, I decided I would get the capuchin to replace my National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) version, since the latter is an articulated accessory to an Ace Ventura action figure. It got me thinking, I should probably go ahead then and replace the NECA scarlet macaw as well, as I would much rather have representatives of these animals from ‘traditional’ toy animal manufacturers rather than action figure accessories (besides, while the NECA figure morphologically looks like a scarlet macaw, the animal in the film the toy was based on is actually a green-winged macaw).
A couple days ago we had a random Spring snow storm, so I took advantage and snapped a few pics of a species that would normally be home in such a climate, the snowy owl, Bubo scandiacus. What is interesting, I posted the first review on the blog and that figure was Schleich’s tawny owl.
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
Today I am reviewing a figure of my favorite animal, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Its common name is derived from the discovery of an organ in its head that contained a white, waxy substance that was confused for its semen.
So, adding to the Spotted Hyena clan again, this time with a short-lived companion from the Schleich ‘New Heroes’ series. For those who don’t remember the series (from 2011-2013) it featured various human figures representing famous warrior-types from history (Thracian, Ninja, Samurai, etc) as well as some random gladiators, most of whom had names.
It’s no secret that hyenas don’t have a great public image, they’re often vilified and anthropomorphized with less desirable human traits; cowardice, gluttony, maliciousness, just to name a few. Their portrayal in pop culture, even before The Lion King, has never been a positive one. But like other often vilified animals; snakes, sharks, vultures, bats, spiders, etc.
Review and images by Alopias superciliosus; edited by bmathison1972
I’m happy to be returning for my second Shark Week; always a pleasure to nerd about obscure sharks! For this year’s installment we are going as far away geographically from my Greenland Shark review last year as possible, “down under” to discuss the weird and wonderful Spotted Wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus.
