Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
As its name suggests, the Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is an Old World porcupine that ranges across most of India as well as much of the Middle East. And like most porcupines, it is covered in a formidable coat of quills for defense against predators.
Cuteness alert! Walk-around of the CollectA Wildlife 88722 Long-tailed Chinchilla, Chinchilla lanigera Bennett, 1829; originally produced in 2015. It’s quite a tiny figure, snout-vent length would be around 50 mm if the figure was stretched out and the tail adds another 28 mm so the scale is approx. 1:5.
The prairie dog of western North America is not only an icon of the American west but a keystone species as well. Prairie dogs are burrowers, and their extensive network of tunnels, chambers, and mounds known as “prairie dog towns” serve as important habitat for a host of species, including burrowing owls and the black-footed ferret that not only lives in prairie dog burrows but also preys on them.
Before we begin the review, I would like to thank Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Happy Hen Toys is a U.S. distributor of animal figures, including some that are otherwise hard to come by in the United States. I highly recommend that you check out their selection.
In keeping with the tradition that I started last year; I’ve decided to once again review an animal native to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. And I’ve had this one in mind for a while. It’s the CollectA 2011 red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and I originally purchased it in August at my local county fair.
Here, we see a rather surprising critter, a rodent from Europe that defied expectations. Here is the tale of the Bavarian Pine Vole (Microtus bavaricus): Once found only in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, the species was last seen in 1962, and the site it once inhabited was demolished in order to build a hospital.
“Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!“
“Now, this second day of February, Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, was awakened from his burrow. In Groundhogese, Phil directed the Inner Circle to his Predictive Scroll.”
And thus begins the Groundhog Day ceremony (roughly) as it has begun each year in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania at Gobbler’s Knob since 1886.
When most think of rodents, they think of things like the infamous black rat and it’s fleas, the verminous plague bringers of the world. This is unfair on all fronts, including the idea of them being small, as some can get sizeable. The largest today is the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), a relative of the Guinea pig and likewise found in South America, quite commonly too.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
No animal is more associated with Canada than the beaver (Castor canadensis). Many First Nations tribes from the Haida to the Cree to the Mi‘kmaq include it in their legends, usually emphasizing the animal’s industrious nature. Moreover, the fur trade, which began in the 16th century and upon which the entire nation was built, was based primarily on beaver pelts.
Well, here we are. I’ve reached a big milestone, my 50th review! I want to thank everyone who read, rated and commented on my reviews to this point. I also want to thank bmathison1972 for editing my work. For this milestone, I wanted to cover something well made and on the more expensive side, so I chose the Japanese Animals set by Colorata.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
ANIA is a line of animal figures released under Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. catered towards educating children about wildlife. These figures are highly detailed, inexpensive, and often accurate to the animals they are made to portray. The line has gained popularity in Japan, with them branching out to releasing bath bombs with little animals, gashapons, and blind boxes.
Beauty of the Beasts is an online Etsy shop featuring resin animal figurines made by artist Qinguy Li out of Halifax, Canada. The site is probably best known for its Complete Feline Series which features nearly every, if not every, species of wild feline in 1:10 scale. They also have 1:10 tapirs, a brown bear, a spotted hyena, and just started a 1:10 canine series.
Today I am reviewing a figure that I think needs some special attention, the North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), that was released by Safari Ltd in 2018 for their North American Wildlife line. When promo pics first came out for this figure, it got a lot of negative feedback, much of which I think is undeserving given the complex morphology of the actual animal (more on that below).
I was thinking for my next review I should do a rodent or lagomorph. I decided to review the eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, 1788) by Safari LTD, which was released for their North American Wildlife line in 2006. The figure was marketed simply as ‘squirrel’ but was clearly intended to represent this species.
