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.
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!
