Review and images by ALeahgator; edited by bmathison1972
The emperor penguin, or Aptenodytes forsteri, is an iconic winter-themed animal and also a popular symbol of Antarctica. It would be hard to think of an animal more iconic of Earth’s polar regions, except for the woolly mammoth which is now extinct.
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.
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.
Review and images by stemturtle; edited by bmathison1972
Eastern tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum (K&M). Length is 10.5 inches or 27 cm.
This figure is made of soft rubber. The paint did not hold up well to my granddaughter’s play, so I touched-up the green spots.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s that time of year again, when the United States celebrates Thanksgiving and everything relating to the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and its domesticated counterparts. Last year I missed the opportunity to review a specimen of this highly symbolic bird but I’ve come prepared this year. This turkey is part of the Wild Republic Audubon Birds line of plush birds that emit authentic vocalizations provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
There is no shortage of attractions to found in the great city of San Francisco, California, but my own personal favourite is the California Academy of Sciences. It encompasses a natural history museum, a planetarium, a multi-level indoor rainforest, and last but especially not least, the Steinhart Aquarium.
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].
