Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The bluespotted ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma) is a small stingray inhabiting shallow seas and reefs throughout the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. These rays don’t exceed 35 cm in finspan and 71 cm from snout to the tip of the tail.
This figure is the Common Goldfish, Carassius auratus, model number 17, from the second series. There are a couple of different ‘wild’ versions in Book 2, but for whatever reason I don’t have either one of them. Instead, this is the Secret domestic version, which is listed as number 17 in the series.
This figure is a second figure of the Japanese silver crucian carp (or Langsdorf’s Goldfish, or Ginbuna in Japan), Carassius langsdorfii. As before, it is stamped number 16 but being a secret figure from the Book 2 second release series, it is number 17 in that list.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Ranging from southern Canada all the way down to Argentina, rattlesnakes are a large group of pit vipers famous and feared for their venom and their rattling tails. Despite their negative reputation, they are in truth important predators of rodents, helping to balance ecosystems and prevent crop damage.
Note – a lot more information has become available since I first wrote this one!
This figure is the Japanese silver crucian carp (or Langsdorf’s Goldfish, or Ginbuna in Japan), Carassius langsdorfii (according to Fishbase; earlier sources refer to it as the subspecies Carassius auratus langsdorfii ), stamped number 16 and listed as figure 1 from the Book 2 series, second.
For my first ATB review for 2024, I would like to review a very special plush Dachshund created by Douglas Cuddle Toys, which is one of my favorite toy companies. Douglas Cuddle Toys was founded in 1956 and has been making designer-quality stuffed animals ever since in Keene, New Hampshire. Douglas Cuddle Toys is probably best-known for their variety of breed-specific dogs and cats, so it is fitting that my new favorite is a Douglas dog.
In keeping with a tradition that I started two years ago I’m reviewing an Irish animal for St. Patrick’s Day. Only this time I decided not to review a wild animal but a domestic one instead. In finding a subject to review I researched what livestock breeds come from the Emerald Isle and although I was able to find some, very few of them had figurines to their name.
This figure is the Chum Salmon egg and alevin (hatchling), Oncorhynchus keta, number 19 in Book 2, but the number 15 is stamped into it—and it’s another Special Secret (I am reposting these based on the model numbers)! The difference with this one is that the numbering would appear to place it in the Series 2 set—but the papers for series 2 start at model 16 (although they restart at 1 within each Book), so it’s a little unusual for the Secret to be ‘first’ in the series.
The silver arowana Osteoglossum bicirrhosum is a bonytongue fish found in black and whitewater habitats in many waterway basins of South America (except most of the Rio Negro). It is one of two species in the genus, both found in South America and occasionally overlapping in range. The species name comes from the two narrow barbels or cirrhi protruding from its lower jaw.
This figure is the Se-Kin Dragon Arowana AKA Malyasian Golden Highback Arowana, Scleropages formosus, although some researchers have split up the species into four, and the Gold Malaysian variety may belong in S. aureus if the species are valid—and most researchers are not yet convinced (edit–and continue not to be). Like the Yujin chili red arowana before, the figure is number 15 from the second release, but is stamped with model number 15.
This figure is the Asian Arowana (or Asian Bonytongue, or Dragonfish), Scleropages formosus, number 15 from the first series—but it’s (one of) the Special Secret(s) (edit – when I first did these walkarounds, I thought there was only one secret figure for each series…turned out there are at least three for every release).
Review and images by Kikimalou; edited by bmathison1972
The honey badger, or ratel, (Mellivora capensis) is a Mustelidae widely distributed in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. The animal has a fairly long but strong body, with short, sturdy legs equipped with impressive claws. It is perfectly equipped to resist fights with its fellow creatures and predators alike.
(editor note–I need to update more than normal–because I didn’t discover the adult figure until long after the original writing about the juvenile)
These figures represent the Barramundi (or Asian Seabass), Lates calcarifer. The model number is 13 from the first series (original release); the juvenile is also model number 13, but number 14 in terms of the Yujin series.
The common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a species of pig (family Suidae) that occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. Aside from the wild boar it is the most familiar of the wild pig species. It is also common, with a large range that covers grasslands, savannas, and forests. Warthogs are the only pigs adapted to live as grazers in open habitats and the bulk of their diet is made up of grasses.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Phoca largha, most commonly known as the spotted or largha seal, is a species of earless seal inhabiting the waters of the Northern Pacific from Alaska to the Yellow Sea. It is sometimes mistaken for the closely-related harbor seal (P.
