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.
If you were to go past a large body of water, be it a canal, lake, or pond, you would likely see a form of duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus). Common in various forms and breeds across the globe, they are often a food source for meat and eggs, although can also provide a useful solution to chemical free pest control.
Today we are looking at the third release in Kaiyodo’s Revogeo line, the Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia. The Revogeo figures are large, articulated, and (to date) all arthropods. Endemic to Southeast Asia, eastern Russia, and Japan, V. mandarinia is the world’s largest hornet. It gained some attention here in the U.S.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Thanks to its wonderful whiskers and tusks, the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is the most unique and recognizable out of all the 33 extant pinnipeds. Many toys of this massive beast have been made over the decades; here we shall be examining the Wild Safari Sealife version from 2005.
The Pacific coast of North America is well known for its unique ecology; temperate rainforests, redwood and sequoia trees, sea otters, gray whales and other marine mammals, and the various Pacific salmon of the Oncorhynchus genus. But there are more humble creatures that call that region home. Many of which are unknown to the world at large but quite famous to the local humans that live alongside them.
Evolution has produced many ways for life to defend itself, with eyes and jaws, claws and teeth. More interesting to me is when animals use chemical methods to stay alive. From the venomous reptiles to the explosive force of the bombardier beetle, internal chemistry can be a trump card for many animals.
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
Architeuthis dux, the giant squid, is one of the most iconic cephalopods known to humanity. It is the longest of the cephalopods and is only surpassed in mass by the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni). Large squid have been described as far back as the fourth century BCE, when Aristotle described the ‘’teuthus’’, a squid larger than the more commonly seen smaller ‘’teuthis’’.
Today we are looking at the Little Barrier giant weta (Deinacrida heteracantha) by Bandai Spirits (a sister company to Bandai) for their 2020 series, Life With Insect. The Life With Insect series was a special release only sold at a grocery store chain in Japan. The figures started to sell out quickly and now permeate online markets, such as eBay, fetching exhorbitant prices!
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is perhaps the most familiar of all the eared seals due to its popularity in zoos and aquariums as well as its range across most of the western coastline of North America. Intelligent and adaptable, it is just as comfortable resting on a man-made structure, such as the famous Pier 39 in San Francisco, as it is on a remote sandy beach.
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
Today I am reviewing a figure of my favorite animal, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Its common name is derived from the discovery of an organ in its head that contained a white, waxy substance that was confused for its semen.
With a name like Sirenia, you would think I would have gotten to this point sooner, and before anyone else, but I got here at last, a review of a sirenian. These docile aquatic animals are related to Afrotherians, making this another group of mammals that became fully aquatic and large, alongside the whales.
In my last review I touched on the diversity of the hammerhead family Sphyrnidae while covering a toy representative of the family’s largest member, the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran). Today we’re covering another member of that family, but one that is quite different from the great hammerhead and from what we think of when we think of hammerheads in general.
No other extant animal captures the essence of the wild like the lion. It is without a doubt the most famous of the big cats and often referred to as “King of the Beasts”, “Lord of the Jungle” and so on.
The lion’s great strength and the male’s impressive appearance have made them popular and a staple of pop culture and the toy figure industry.
Today we are looking at the ecdysis process of the large brown cicada (Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata), a species of cicada distributed throughout much of Southeast Asia, including China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. The ecdysis process is whereby a growing animal sheds its skin as it gets larger (e.g., a molting snake) or an insect advancing to the next stage of development, as we will see in this review.