When it comes to catching fish, birds have found many techniques. You having diving kingfishers, spearing herons and skimmers galore. But the birds with the most straight forward approach are the pelicans. With an inflatable gullet, they scoop their prey in, water and all. This has made them quite successful, being found across the globe.
Type: Figurine
Crested Gecko (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (9 votes)
The Safari crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) is new for 2022 and part of their Incredible Creatures line. It’s a fitting addition too. The crested gecko is only found on the island country of New Caledonia. Specifically, on the southern portion of the island of Grand Terre and on Isle of Pines.
Japanese Flying Squid (Nihon Auto Toy)
4 (7 votes)
Review and images by Bruhmingo; edited by bmathison1972
Hello all, today I would like to share one of my favorite figures in my collection, the Nihon Auto Toy Japanese flying squid, (Todarodes pacificus). It has been difficult to find information on this model and the company producing it, but they seem to have been sold in Japanese crane games at arcades.
European Stag Beetle (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (2 votes)
The European stag beetle, Lucanus cervus, is an iconic insect of the European hardwood forests. Unfortunately, its numbers dropped in the 20th Century due to modern forestry, which removed dead oak and beech trees required for larval development. The beetle gets its Latin epithet, cervus, and its common name ‘stag beetle’ after Cervus elaphus (red deer), as the mandibles of a major male are reminiscent of the antlers of a red deer stag.
Bactrian Camel (Wildlife by CollectA)
4.7 (7 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) of Central Asia is the largest living member of the camelid family (although the dromedary is taller). An adult male averages around 600 kg (1323 lbs) in weight, but can achieve up to 1000 kg (2204 lbs).
Hereford Cattle, Cow (Farm World by Schleich)
3.8 (9 votes)
The Hereford is a breed of cattle that originated in Herefordshire, England, in 1742. Originally used as a multi-purpose breed, Hereford cattle are now bred specifically for their meat. They can be easily identified by their mostly dark red body and white face. The Hereford is smaller than the similar Simmental cattle, and in general has less white spotting and tends to be darker red in color too.
Crucifix Crab, small (AAA)
4.5 (4 votes)
Review and images by Bruhmingo; edited by bmathison1972
My passion as a collector is most geared towards replicas cast from real specimens, and AAA is perhaps the best known producer of such models. AAA is a rather mysterious company that produced many of our favorite cast replicas. While this means exemplary detail, it is often incredibly difficult to identify the species a figure is representing, usually due to mislabeling or an inaccurate paint scheme.
Bullock’s Nudibranch (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (9 votes)
Bullock’s nudibranch (Hypselodoris bullockii) is a colorful and familiar sea slug from the Indo-Pacific region. They are benthic in nature and are often associated with coral reefs. It turns out, many historical records of H. bullockii are incorrect, due to morphologic confusion with other species in the bullockii-complex.
Mandrill, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
3 (5 votes)
The primate order is an intriguing and diverse group, from monkeys to lemurs, and from great ape to human, they are varied in form. Here, we look at some old world monkeys, one that lacks the long tails and have only short ones. These are Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), primates that exist in both the forests and the Savanah of central-west Africa, living in large groups.
Bee Hummingbird, pair (1/1 Bee Hummingbirds by SO-TA)
5 (2 votes)
The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the world’s small extant bird, possibly the smallest bird ever known (but I am not up-to-date on the full extent of the avian fossil record). It is endemic to Cuba and its surrounding islands, especially the Zapata swamp in the eastern part of the island.
Holstein Cattle, Cow (Farm World by Schleich)
4.8 (4 votes)
If you were told to close your eyes and picture a cow, chances are that the cow would be a Holstein. Holstein cattle are the classic black and white dairy cows, familiar the world over. Of the estimated 9 million dairy cattle in the United States alone, 90% of them are Holsteins or of Holstein decent.
Leatherback Sea Turtle (Marine Life by Papo)
3.8 (6 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is a species of sea turtle and the sole member of Dermochelyidae family. It is the largest and heaviest reptile alive today that isn’t a crocodilian (disclaimer: while many snakes like reticulated pythons and anacondas are twice the length of these turtles, they are way lighter).