Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Of all the creatures in the world’s oceans, none are more bizarre and more terrifying to behold than those that dwell in the darkest depths where the light does not penetrate. Seven of these strange species are to be found in the 2014 Deep Sea Creatures TOOB courtesy of Safari Ltd.
Today I am reviewing another figure from the 2020 Life With Insect collection by Bandai Spirits. This time, we are looking at the larva of the Asian swallowtail, Papilio xuthus, which was part of a set of three immature insects sold together as Desktop Models. The other two in the trio are the larva of the Japanese rhinoceros beetle and the nymphal exuvia of the large brown cicada (which was already highlighted on the Blog here).
When it comes to land speed records, no living animal surpasses the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). This sleek predator can max out between 50 and 80 mph, allowing it to keep up with prey, although in small bursts. It is one of the largest of the Felinae group, not being a big cat as it can’t roar, only purr.
With the possible exception of the Teddy bear the classic rubber duck is without question the most popular animal toy in the world. And although the collecting of rubber duckies does not really tie into our own hobby you can bet that they have their own loyal following of collectors. And the selection of different ducks is astounding; they come in every conceivable color, size, and style.
Review and images by Takama; additional text by Jetoar and bmathison1972
Mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata) are my favorite ducks. So I am glad Safari Ltd. made one for their Wings of the World collection in 2008.
Mandarin ducks are native to East Asia and Japan, with feral populations established in Great Britain, Germany, and in North Carolina and California in the U.S.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), also known as the Greenland right whale, is the bearer of multiple titles: largest Arctic denizen, largest mouth of any animal, thickest blubber of any animal, and longest baleen plates of any cetacean. It is also thought to be the longest living of all mammals, with a maximum lifespan of more than 200 years!
If you want to think of a land animal that is the epitome of longevity, it would be the tortoise. Notable member of this family can live for two hundred years, and can have incredible variations in terms of size. While not quite as frequently made in toy form as their aquatic relatives, there are some out there, and this review will look at AAA’s efforts.
As I mentioned when I reviewed the 2020 Papo Highland cattle, I really like cattle breeds. When it comes to the Eurasian stock (Bos taurus taurus), I started with the 2019 Hereford from CollectA, followed by the aforementioned 2020 Papo Highland Cattle, and now the 2020 Tyrol Grey cattle by CollectA.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
In recent years, an uncommon and elusive animal reached quite a reputation, especially due to an increase of advertisement as “the most trafficked animal you didn`t know existed”. Although pangolins have existed in the form of toy animals at least since the early 80’s, and have quite impressive appearances in children’s animal books as by famous Rinaldo D.
The spotted hyena is one of the most well-known and popular animals today, thanks to its many appearance in nature documentaries as well as movies. It has become one of those iconic animals that almost everyone knows or at least can identify.
But the spotted hyena is not alone in its family, today there are actually four extant species of hyenas: the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), the brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea) the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus), and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena).
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
When it comes to cetaceans, I generally find all mysticetes equally interesting, but I have strong preferences between different odontocetes. Outside of sperm whales and orcas, my next favorites are the members of the Globicephalinae subfamily of oceanic dolphins. This taxon contains all the species of dolphins referred to as ‘’blackfish’’, other than the killer whale.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
A truly iconic beast, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the biggest of all extant bears, the undisputed master of the Great North, and the image on one side of the two dollar coin in my home and native land of Canada.
