Review and images by Cachalot; edited by bmathison1972
Jeff had not eaten for three weeks as he lurked just under the waters off Dana Point California. The great white, Carcharodon carcharias, wandered here looking for food. He had not had a respectable meal in three months.
Well, this upcoming week is Shark Week (and Shark Fest was last week, apparently) so here’s our mandatory shark review to celebrate the event. Not that we need an excuse to review sharks, we appreciate sharks all year long around here. Counting this review, I’ve now covered a baker’s dozen cartilaginous fishes.
Review and images by Cachalot; edited by bmathison1972
Recently I have gotten interested in sea animals, whales in particular. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is my favorite; it is an animal of extremes. It has the largest brain on earth, 17 to 20 pounds. There are music ditties about this creature being brainy.
In this edition of the “Savannah Summer”, we head to the Republic of the Congo to see an incredibly rare and fascinating animal, the Okapi (Okapia johnstoni). Despite the stripy legs, this animal is related to the giraffe, as can be seen by it’s ossicones and long, prehensile tongue.
Review and images by Takama; edited by bmathison1972
Editor’s Note: In honor of Independence Day, we are transferring over a walk-around of an iconic American animal, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).
Ok, in the fall and early winter, bald eagles migrate from the south to make there nests in my area of the Mississippi River.
OK folks, here we are. I was finally able to complete this holiest of Holy Grail sets, thanks to STS forum member NMR_Okapi who found me the last missing figure! Most of you who follow me on the Blog and forums know I am a professional parasitologist, so it should be no surprise that this has been one of the most sought-after sets for someone like me.
The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is the antithesis of what we think of when we think of most pinnipeds: seals, sealions, and walruses. The only member of its genus, the leopard seal is about as far from a chubby harbor seal, or playful California sea lion, as you can get.
Carrying on with the “Savannah Summer”, we head to the Kalahari, the land of great thirst. The precipitation is low, so survival can be tricky. Even still, life finds a way, and even relatively large species can call the area home. Take the gemsbok or oryx (Oryx gazella), a large species of antelope, which is a native to this large, often dry expanse.
Today we are looking at a rather ingenious set of figures by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S., representing the golden-ringed dragonfly (Anotogaster sieboldii), that was released as part of their 2021 B.I.G. Insects collection. Every year, Takara releases a set of five large and articulated arthropods in the B.I.G.
