With its distinctive, sharply contrasting mix of gray, black, blue, white, and yellow coloration, the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) is one of the ocean’s most attractive species of dolphin. And yet, it is not terribly popular with toy manufacturers which tend to focus on the far more popular but somewhat bland bottlenose dolphin.
Classification: Mammals
Ring-tailed Lemur (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
4.7 (6 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Lemurs are primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. Although superficially similar to monkeys, they have evolved independently from them and can easily be distinguished by their enormous eyes and pointed muzzles. Of the 100 species described, the most famous and popular one of all is probably the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta).
Hippopotamus, 1996 (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
3.3 (4 votes)
Another “Savanah Summer” that will see us back into the water, or at least wade through it. After all, though they are known as “water horses”, the Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) does not actually swim like it’s cetacean relatives, more hopping along the bottom of the body of water they are in, so don’t venture into deep water.
Sahara Desert TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (8 votes)
The Sahara Desert covers about 25% of the African continent and is the largest hot desert in the world, with an area of 3,600,000 square miles (9,200,000 km). This immense ecosystem is made up of sand dunes, some of which are 500’ tall, stone plateaus, sand seas, gravel plains, dry valleys, and sand flats.
Chimpanzee, 2013 male (Wild Life Africa by Schleich)
4.5 (4 votes)
Walk-around of the Schleich Wild Life 14678 male common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes (Blumenbach, 1776). Snout-vent length is approx. 67 mm, so the scale is something between 1:10 and 1:14. The human figure (European Father by Miniland “Los Amigos del Mundo”) is approx. 1:13 – 1:14 scale. There are only a few chimpanzee figures I really like and this is actually the first I have in my collection.
Zebra, 2018 Mare (Wild Life Africa by Schleich)
4.1 (7 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
One of the most famous and most recognizable of all equids is the zebra of Africa, of which there are three recognized species: the plains zebra (Equus quagga), the mountain zebra (E. zebra), and the Grevy’s zebra (E.
Black Rhinoceros (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (5 votes)
The trotting Safari Ltd. Wild Safari Wildlife 228929 black or hook-lipped rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis (Linnaeus, 1758). Snout-vent length is approx. 121 mm and shoulder height 65 mm, so the scale is between approx. 1:21 and 1:27. The human figure (man from Safari Ltd People in Motion TOOB) is approx.
Giraffe, baby (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
2.5 (6 votes)
Picking subjects for the “Savanah Summer” can often be a tall order. I can often be sticking my neck out trying to pick the best of Africa’s finest. This time though, it’s been easy to choose: I am finally covering the Giraffe (Girrafa camelopardalis). The tallest animals on the planet, these graceful creatures can grow to 18.7 ft tall and are found across Africa.
Elephant Bull, Standing (AAA)
4 (5 votes)
Another “Savanah Summer” and, much like last year, I’m bringing out the big guns! In Africa, there is no bigger than the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana). At 13ft tall and over 10 tonnes in weight, it is the true heavy weight, and take the title of largest land animal with ease (even though giraffes are taller).
Black-backed Jackal (Wildlife Collection by CollectA)
4.7 (6 votes)
The black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) is a fixture of the east and southern African landscape. Usually seen skulking around the periphery of kills made by Africa’s much larger predators. Although regarded as lowly scavengers at the bottom of the predatory pecking order jackals are cunning, resourceful, and successful little generalist predators.
Tadjik Markhor (Wildlife by CollectA)
4.7 (7 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The markhor (Capra falconeri) is a wild goat that can be found scattered across the mountains of Central Asia, the Himalayas, and the Kakakoram. Several subspecies of markhor are known to exist, including the rare Tadjik or Bukharan markhor (C.
Lion, Jumbo (AAA)
2 (3 votes)
Welcome back to the “Savanah Summer”! When it comes to carnivores in Africa, the feliforms are the more famous, be it the speedy cheetah, the stealthy leopard or the infamous hyenas. Most famous, and biggest, of all is, of course, the African Lion (Panthera leo), king of the…..