Cetaceans are an amazing example of the adaptability of the mammals. From giant filter feeders to smaller predators, they have a great variety of forms. This includes ones that mimic much older species, convergently evolving similar features to deal with the same environment. This review looks at a great example of this: the dolphin, which has similar adaptations to the extinct ichthyosaurs.
Dodo, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)
3 (2 votes)
If something is “as dead as a Dodo”, it is very dead, gone forever, reflecting on the fate of said animal, the Dodo. From the island of Mauritius, these flightless pigeons roamed the land, eating fruit and shellfish and lacking fear. Then man came along and introduced new predators, ones that Dodo’s lacked, and soon they were gone from their native lands, never to return.
Centipede (Little Wonders by CollectA)
4 (3 votes)
For a while, CollectA lumped their terrestrial arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians under their ‘Insects’ collection. That collection is now referred to as Little Wonders and has two subcategories: Insects and Spiders and Reptiles and Amphibians. I have always loved CollectA’s insects and spiders. Unlike their ungulates and dinosaurs, they are not always the most exotic or unusual species, but I always like their solid design, paint applications, non-gloss finish, and texture.
Tamandua (Miniatureplanet Vol. 5 by Eikoh)
2.5 (4 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Ants are a very common and numerous form of recent insects, and so it is no wonder that there is also a variety of myrmecophagus animals. A lot of them, though by far not all, rely on strong claws and long sticky tongues to get their small quarries out of their narrow burrows.
Blue Shark (Rhode Island Novelty)
3.3 (4 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
There are more than 350 known species of shark, and while many of them are quite distinctive, others are difficult to tell apart unless you are an expert or an enthusiast. Perhaps that helps explain why there are so many generic shark toys out there.
Boar (Early Learning Centre)
3.8 (4 votes)
When you think of domesticated farm animals, one of the first to be thought of is the pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), the delightful omnivore of the farm. There is something quite charming about the pig, maybe because it eats anything like we seem to, hence the expression “as greedy as a pig” (yes, that is from “Snatch”).
Great Auk (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series A by Cadbury)
4 (2 votes)
The tragedy of the Great Auk is a tale that covers much of the globe. These sea birds lived across the Atlantic, catching fish and having large flocks across islands throughout the Atlantic. They were killed for down in pillows, the bills for Native American charms and for fuel and food for sailors.
Mini Insects and Spiders (Mini Animals Collection by CollectA)
4 (2 votes)
Ever since CollectA started releasing collections of mini dinosaurs based on their larger and standard-size dinosaurs, I knew that if they ever released a set of mini arthropods, it would represent miniature versions of their Insects and Spiders Collection. I was correct. I was not expecting it 2020, but at least I had figured out their plan.
Wedge-tailed Eagle with Brown Snake (Southlands Replicas)
4.7 (3 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Glaring sun scorches the land as a venomous death silently slides towards its den beneath the sparse shade of the burned grass. Suddenly night falls and accompanied by a hot but soft wind, eight fiercely piercing blades start to cut all life from its automatically wildly curling body.
Thylacine (Wildlife by CollectA)
5 (5 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
For millions of years, the modern thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), also known as the marsupial wolf and the Tasmanian tiger, was one of Australia’s apex predators. But thanks to over-hunting, habitat destruction, and sheer callousness on the part of human beings, this magnificent animal has gone the way of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts.
Hippopotamus (FINA Save Wildlife Collection by Toy Major)
3.5 (2 votes)
When most think of dangerous animals in Africa, known for killing people, most will think of lions, crocodiles, and hyenas (oh my!). But the animal that actually kills the most people is the common hippopotamus, as they can be very aggressive about their territory. But leave them be and they are benign, incredible animals.
Frilled Lizard (Capsule Q Museum: Reptiles Lounge by Kaiyodo)
5 (3 votes)
Images by postsaurischian; additional text by bmathison1972
The frilled lizard is a popular and familiar again that lives in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is famous for being able to run bipedal, but mainly for its neck frill, which makes it so distinctive, the species is immediately recognizable in even the cheapest of figures (luckily the one we are looking at today is one of the nicer representatives of this species in toy forum).
Aye-aye (Lemurs and Prosimians by Play Visions)
4 (2 votes)
Review and images by stemturtle, edited by bmathison1972
The aye-aye, Daubentonia madagascariensis, is a bizarre lemur, with ears like a bat, continuously growing incisors like a beaver, and a long bony middle finger for extracting grubs from under bark. These are adaptations for percussive foraging, which is to tap on wood, echolocate movement, chew a hole, and hook the grub.
Upland Moa (Yowies Forgotten Friends Series B by Cadbury)
4 (2 votes)
When most people think of the Moa, it is likely they will only think about the giants of these birds, specifically the South Island Giant Moa. The reality is, however, that there were many Moa species across New Zealand, filling niches that in other parts of the world are filled by mammals.
Mexican Red-knee Tarantula (Wild Life by Schleich)
5 (2 votes)
Walkaround of the Mexican red-knee tarantula, Brachypelma smithi (P-Cambridge, 1897) by Schleich, released in 2019. I am going to start with a little taxonomic disclaimer. There is confusion to the identity of spiders referred to as Mexican red-knees, since the description of a cryptic sibling species, B. hamorii Cleton and Verdez, 1997.