Author’s note: Normally in October I follow the ‘spooky’ critters theme. However, I wanted to get this sixth and final Toymany baby African animal up on the blog, which like others I have reviewed recently, was courtesy of @Kenc and our friends at Toymany. My other posts this month will stick to the traditional theme :-).
For my last review from Toymany’s Baby Wildlife collection, I will be covering the infant gorilla. Toymany did not market the figure at the species level, but looking at the pattern of hair on its head, I am thinking it represents the lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), and probably the western lowland gorilla (G. g. gorilla) since it is one of the best known gorillas and generally the only subspecies kept in captivity. Being somewhat closely related to humans, there are some similar patterns to reproduction between western lowland gorillas and humans. Both primates have gestation periods of roughly nine months. And just like humans, western lowland gorillas typically only give birth to one baby at a time. Also, like human babies, baby gorillas are born helpless and are completely dependent on their mothers for care and protection. Infant gorillas are quite tiny compared to their parents, weighing on average 1.8 kg. They are adapted for clinging onto their mothers’ fur and ride on their mothers’ backs starting at about four months until they are 2-3 years old. Gorillas live in troops led by one or more males, females, and their offspring with those females. Infanticide sometimes occurs in gorilla troops, whereby males will kill infants that are not theirs, thus making the mother available for mating earlier than she would be had she had to care for an offspring.
This baby gorilla is sculpted in an upright posture, standining 5.0 cm tall in total height. Like with many baby animals, it can be difficult to calculate a scale without knowing the age of the animal. The next photo shows it with the 2017 Schleich lowland gorilla which I have calculated at a scale of 1:14.2-1:16.2; however, it looks a little too big for the Schleich figure, especially if it is intended to represent an infant.
The sculpt is incredibly detailed for its size, and facial wrinkles, detail of the ears, fur over most of the body, and even the lines in the palms of the feet are all visible. The animal is posed upright and alert, with its foreknuckles bent under the hands.
The color is entirely jet black, except for the eyes which are hazel colored with black pupils.
In line with other figures in this set, this is an incredibly detailed baby gorilla. I have to admit, looking at promotional pics, I thought this would be my least favorite figure in the bunch, but it is so much better in-hand. I will complement troops on shelves and dioramas featuring families. Available individually or as part of the Baby Wildlife collection on Toymany’s website. Use the discount code TMAFBM10 when ordering directly from Toymany’s website and receive a 10% discount.
And to recap, here are the six African animals in the Baby Wildlife collection:
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