The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is not only a symbol of the American southeast, but also of American conservation. Due to overhunting and habitat loss during the 1800’s through the mid 1900’s the species was listed as endangered in 1967. Then a mere 20 years later, in 1987, it was pronounced fully recovered.
Classification: Reptiles
Dodo and Coelurosauravus (Primeval by Character Options)
2 (1 votes)
When it comes to TV shows, a chance to make merchandise and thus more money is a major point. With the success of the Doctor Who figures based on the series, ITV’s own time travel based show, Primeval, attempted the same. It ran for the first two series, but no further.
Nile Crocodile, 2007 (Wild Life Africa by Schleich)
3 (2 votes)
Schleich is a German company that has really evolved a lot, especially in the last 20 years or so, from making more simplistic figurines to becoming a creator of some of the most realistic animal figures I’ve ever seen. That being said, I do still like some of the slightly older Schleichs and have been occasionally seeking to add some of the older ones to my collection.
King Cobra (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.5 (2 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
While the suborder Serpentes counts approx. known 3600 species, the everyday person would probably only be able to name four or five, and the cobra would be a sure contender amongst these. This popularity stems from the potency of its venom as well as from its quite unique defense behaviour.
Galapagos Tortoise (Wild Animals by Papo)
4 (3 votes)
The Galápagos Islands are an incredible biome, full of an array of different species, perfectly adapted for their environment. This resulted in Charles Darwin developing his theories of evolution. It also resulted in a lot of damaged to this ecosystem, as the animals were decimated by the introduction of European animals and hunters.
American Alligator, large (Flopsies by Aurora World)
4.7 (3 votes)
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a common staple of swamp wildlife in North America; particularly in places such as North Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. Souvenir shops in these states abound with alligator paraphernalia, and you might even see one in one of the rivers or swamps in these states.
American Alligator (Wild Life by Schleich)
4.1 (8 votes)
I am aware that there is quite a lot of complaining about perceived accuracy flaws in Schleich’s dinosaur toys, but I have to say that since my formerly local Tractor Supply store began carrying them, I have been impressed with the realism of their animal toys. (Note to editor: by the way I’d like to give a shout out to the Dino Toy Blog here and let them know that I have Schleich’s new Allosaurus and would be happy to review it for the Dinosaur Blog).
Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Marine Life by Papo)
5 (4 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Sea turtles are majestic animals. They have been on this planet since the Jurassic period and are still swimming our seas today. When other marine reptiles like the ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs went extinct by the KT mass extinction, the oceans were left with just snakes, turtles, the marine iguana, and saltwater crocodiles.
Rattlesnake (Wild Life by Schleich)
3.9 (7 votes)
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.
Green Sea Turtle, 1996 (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
1.7 (3 votes)
With the loss of the great Mesozoic marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, and plesiosaurs, turtles remain the most popular reptilian taxa that are recognized for roaming the Earth’s oceans. Seven species currently exist, and among the most popular and longest-studied is the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).
Endangered Species Reptiles Box (Colorata)
3.8 (4 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Colorata is a Japanese company that has been around for several decades. The internet and global market made their models available to the world outside Asia and the quality of their products made them desirable collector items. A lot of Colorata’s figures have been released as parts of a box, set, of which there are quite a lot to choose from, “fossil fish”, birds of prey, sharks, dinosaurs, cats and a lot more.
American Alligator, 2013 (Wildlife by CollectA)
3.5 (4 votes)
One of the things that distinguishes an alligator from a crocodile is that an alligator is usually dark gray, green, or black in color, sometimes with bright yellow bands on juveniles and more faded ones on some adults. Crocodiles are lighter in color, often very light greens and browns with mottling.
American Alligator, small (Flopsies by Aurora World)
4.3 (4 votes)
Alligators have held a unique appeal for me for many years since I was quite small. I remember watching an old VHS on reptiles in 2003 that prominently featured alligators. It was called “Crocodile Rocks: Itty Bitty Kiddy Wildlife.” The program played classic rock in the background, but was quite informative about alligators.
Komodo Dragon, 2019 (Wild Life by Schleich)
4 (7 votes)
Giant animals exist throughout the world. This can be seen in insular gigantism, and the isle of Komodo has the mighty dragon, the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). This ten foot lizard is the top predator in it’s environment, using it’s size, strength, speed and venom to outmatch any species in the area, no matter where they are.
Galápagos Tortoise, 2020 (Wild Animals by Schleich)
4.3 (7 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
“I frequently got on their backs, and then giving a few raps on the hinder part of their shells, they would rise up and walk away;—but I found it very difficult to keep my balance.” – Charles Darwin
Such was the experience of the legendary naturalist when he studied the giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands in 1835.