Parrots are an amazing group of birds. Whilst most think of them as brightly coloured tropical birds that repeat phrases, they are actually some of the most intelligent animals on the planet, ranking high among birds, along with corvids. And yes, while parrots like the macaws are brightly coloured, many are primarily green, matching their environment.
Brand: Cadbury/Yowie Group
Magpie Goose (Yowies Series 4 by Cadbury)
3.5 (2 votes)
Some may read the title and think “what is that?! A freak of nature? Science creating some hideous hybrid?!!?!?” The answer is more interesting: the Magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) is the last of a family of waterfowl, the Anseranatidae, which is a living fossil from the KPg boundary.
Marsupial Mole (Yowies UK Series 1 by Cadbury)
4.5 (2 votes)
If there is one evolutionary process I love, it’s convergent evolution, where two completely different species evolve the same adaptations to deal with similar environments. Whether it’s the tenrecs of Madagascar looking like hedgehogs, or the similarities between fish, dolphins and ichthyosaurs, it’s impressive how evolution can take these similarities and apply it to different groups.
Masked Lapwing (Yowies Series 3 by Cadbury)
3.5 (2 votes)
The wetlands of the world are great places to witness a variety of life. Birds are common here, wading and collecting food among the silt and water. This review will look at one from the southern hemisphere, the Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles), a common animal in New Zealand and Australia, adaptable and able to live in open fields, wetlands and even arid environments.
New Zealand Giant Eagle (Yowies Lost Kingdoms Series A by Cadbury)
2.5 (2 votes)
When a species goes extinct, you take out one piece of the food web, affecting everything above and below it. When the Moa went extinct, so too did it’s main predator, the largest eagle to ever have existed, Haast’s eagle, Hieraaetus. Once it flew through the forests of New Zealand, preying on the Moa, grabbing their pelvis and slashing their neck with their sharp talons, which gave them their initial (and cooler sounding) scientific name of Harpagornis.
New Zealand Grayling (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series A by Cadbury)
4 (1 votes)
Across the globe, fish populations are under threat as a result of human expansion, altering the environment to suit us. From the Yangtze to the Atlantic, aquatic populations are struggling. This has led to many extinctions, such as the subject of this review: the New Zealand Grayling (Prototroctes oxyrhynchus).
Paradise Parrot (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series A by Cadbury)
2.5 (2 votes)
Australia is home to numerous species of parrot, from the Gallah to the sulpur-crested Cockatoo. Many are now quite rare as a result of humanity, but most are now protected and hopefully will recover. Sadly, this isn’t the case for all of them, as one species no longer exists among them, the Paradise Parrot.
Passenger Pigeon (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series A by Cadbury)
4 (1 votes)
It is always tragic when humans in avertedly cause an animal to become extinct, whether because we didn’t know how limited the population was, destroying habitats or releasing animals that the ecosystem isn’t prepared for. What is intolerable, however, is when a species is rare and humans actively wipe the majority out.
Red Gazelle (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series A by Cadbury)
4 (2 votes)
Africa is an amazing continent, full of incredible species throughout the history of the world. Many are sadly no longer extant, lost to time, often as the result of human expansion. Such is the case with the Red Gazelle, found in Algeria, all that is now left of this species are a few specimens…..
Ruby-eyed Green Pit Viper (Animals with Superpowers by Yowie Group)
4 (6 votes)
The ruby-eyed green pit viper (Craspedocephalus rubeus) is a venomous species of snake from Cambodia and Vietnam that was described in 2011. Not much is known about the species. It lives in seasonal tropical forests near fast flowing streams and appears to be nocturnal. The genus Craspedocephalus contains 15 species, and they tend to be small, arboreal, and feed on small rodents, birds, lizards, and amphibians. Today we’re looking at the ruby-eyed green pit viper, part of Yowie’s Animals with Superpowers set released in 2021.
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Animals with Superpowers by Yowie Group)
3 (2 votes)
Bumble bees are not uncommon in the toy realm, usually as ‘generic bees’ in bin-style sets. Some have been made by major manufacturers, including Bullyland, CollectA, and Safari Ltd., but none of those are identified at the species level. To my knowledge, there are only two figures of bumble bees attributable to the species level, the golden northern bumble bee (Bombus fervidus) by Play Visions in 1996 and the rusty patched bumble bee (B.
Slender Bush Wren (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series A by Cadbury)
2.7 (3 votes)
Songbirds are all around us today. So common, that it is hard to believe that any could become extinct. Of course, this is far from the case, as no species lasts forever. Here, we see the Bushwren, a near flightless species found in each of the major islands of New Zealand and many of the smaller islands.