Bottlenose Dolphin, adult and calf (Monterey Bay Aquarium by Safari Ltd)

3.7 (3 votes)
A creature that needs no introduction, the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The common bottlenose dolphin is a very widely-distributed species,  covering the temperate and tropical waters of the world. With the species-level taxonomy still in revision, the Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus) was split from T.truncatus in 2000 and 3 subspecies are currently recognized: the common subspecies (T.t.truncatus) Lahille’s (T.t.gephyreus), Black sea bottlenose dolphins (T.t.ponticus).

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Capybara, adult and babies (Wildlife by CollectA)

5 (4 votes)

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.

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Berkshire Pig (Safari Farm by Safari Ltd.)

4.6 (5 votes)

The Berkshire pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) is an English breed that originates from county Berkshire. The breed dates back to the 1600’s and is said to be the breed fed upon by General Oliver Cromwell and his troops whilst camping in the Thames valley. Those Berkshires were quite different from the modern breed, however.

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Great Hammerhead Shark (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection from Safari Ltd)

4.7 (3 votes)
The great white may be the most popular shark through its name, but another species probably has a more iconic appearance. Even the least knowledgeable will fail to confuse this fish with another species, the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran). The great hammerhead is the largest of the Sphyrnidae family of hammerhead sharks, well known for their cephalofoil heads.

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Barnacles (Nature Techni Colour by Kitan Club)

5 (2 votes)

Today we will be looking at the complete Barnacles collection that was released by Kitan Club in 2012 as part of the Nature Techni Colour line. The set features 18 figures representing nine species of barnacles. The figures are either magnets, ‘strap’ figures, or are pins designed to be work on clothing or backpacks.

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Zebra Shark (Sealife by CollectA)

5 (4 votes)

Review and images by EpicRaptorMan; edited by bmathison1972

This is one of my favorite shark species, made by CollectA (88614), the leopard shark! Er…wait that isn’t right…my editor is telling me it is actually a zebra shark!? Which dunderhead decided that was a good name? Well, apparently there is quite the fascinating story behind this common name.

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Thylacine (Southlands Replicas)

4.8 (5 votes)

Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972

Alas, less than five years after its promising debut, the animal toy company known as Southlands Replicas is no more. But while it did exist, it produced many superb renditions of Australian fauna, including the tragically extinct thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus)..

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Snow Leopard, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)

4 (1 votes)

Happy holidays to all, and welcome to this year’s first “Winter Wonderland”! At the moment though, it is also the last, as I kinda used up all I had for it last year. But, something is better than nothing, so here is a creature of the frozen heights of the Himalayas, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia).

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Reindeer, Special Holiday Edition 2021 (Schleich)

3.7 (3 votes)

Review and images by Saarlooswolfhound; edited by bmathison1972

Happy Holidays everyone! Whatever you celebrate this season, I do hope that it is holly and jolly and fun! Just like this special edition Schleich reindeer model (Rangifer tarandus). Released late in the year of 2021 as part of a holiday special release, it is a festive reindeer model.

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Woodland Caribou (Wildlife by CollectA)

5 (4 votes)

Everyone knows that Santa’s sleigh is pulled by reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) but with 14 extant sub-species currently described has anyone ever wondered what kind of reindeer are pulling it? Probably not. But according to the 1823 poem (which also gave the reindeer their names) A Visit from St.

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Green Christmas Beetle (Yowies Series 1, UK and Australian releases by Cadbury)

4 (1 votes)

This week Christmas is celebrated throughout much of the world. In trying to keep with holiday themes, I have decided to review a pair of green Christmas beetles (Anoplognathus punctulatus) by Cadbury that were released in both the Australian and UK Yowies collections in 1997. Members the genus Anoplognathus are commonly called ‘Christmas beetles’ as they tend to be abundant during Christmas time in Australia.

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Pacific White-Sided Dolphin (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection by Safari Ltd.)

5 (3 votes)

While the more popular cetacean species exist in most parts of the world, there exist many that are confined to their own little corner of the ocean, such as the North Pacific white-sided dolphin (Sagmatias obliquidens). These dolphins exist across the entire span of the North Pacific.

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South African Penguin (Sealife by CollectA)

5 (4 votes)
It’s July in the South Africa and mating season for its penguins, the males begin calling out with their harsh braying. A local bystander hears this and decides the perfect name to call this bird…
Alas, the South African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), is unfortunately dubbed the ”Jackass Penguin” for its donkey-like sounds.

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Nilgai (Wildlife by CollectA)

5 (5 votes)

Review and images by EpicRaptorMan; edited by bmathison1972

Behold, the nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), the largest Asian antelope native to much of India. This antelope is a bit of an oddity once described by Elizabeth Cary Mungall in her book “Exotic Animal Field Guide” as a “[…] combination of a horse and a cow with the beard of a turkey and short devil horns.” Which is a fairly accurate description.

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Commerson’s Dolphin (SeaWorld)

4.3 (3 votes)

Review and images by EpicRaptorMan; edited by bmathison1972

This small dolphin is known from an assortment of common names some of which include: the panda dolphin, skunk dolphin, jacobita, and Commerson’s dolphin, just to name a few. This cetacean was first described in 1767 by the French naturalist Dr. Philibert Commerson while exploring the waters around the southern tip of South America and was scientifically named Cephalorhynchus commersonii in 1804.

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