Ever since the beginning of civilization, ancient humans in Africa and the Middle East have been fascinated by the crocodile. The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) once had a much larger range–all over Africa and even in Western Asia and the Middle East. A species of Nile crocodile lived in the Jordan River in Palestine until 1912, when the last known one was caught.
African Bush Elephant, 2022 (Wildlife by CollectA)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The African bush or savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the biggest of all three extant elephant species and the biggest of all extant land animals. An average bull stands 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) tall at the shoulder and weighs around 6.6 tons, but the record specimen was around 3.9 metres tall and 10.5 tons in weight.
Goliath Beetle (3D File: Ladybugs & Cetoniinae by Stasto)
For today’s review we will be looking at the Goliath beetle (Goliathus goliatus) by Stasto 3D File in the 2022 collection, Ladybugs Cetoniinae. Unlike most blogposts, which focus on the animal and the figure itself, I am going to focus on how the figure is packaged and assembled (especially since I recently reviewed this species).
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
The Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) is a member of the family Delphinidae that can be found in temperate and tropical waters throughout the Atlantic. Calves are born unspotted, and spots don’t appear until 3-4 years of age, on average. More spots appear as the dolphin ages and physically mature dolphins have the heaviest spotting, although the amount of spotting can still vary between individuals.
Ring-tailed Lemur (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Lemurs are primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. Although superficially similar to monkeys, they have evolved independently from them and can easily be distinguished by their enormous eyes and pointed muzzles. Of the 100 species described, the most famous and popular one of all is probably the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta).
Blacktip Reef Shark (Marine Life by Papo)
The blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) is one of the most recognizable sharks, a staple in aquariums that frequents shallow coral reefs in the wild, which makes it popular among tourists and SCUBA divers. The blacktip reef shark is a generally timid species with only 11 unprovoked attacks and 21 attacks total to its name, none of them fatal.
Goliath Beetle (Diversity of Life on Earth: Beetles Vol. 3 by Bandai)
Sahara Desert TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
The Sahara Desert covers about 25% of the African continent and is the largest hot desert in the world, with an area of 3,600,000 square miles (9,200,000 km). This immense ecosystem is made up of sand dunes, some of which are 500’ tall, stone plateaus, sand seas, gravel plains, dry valleys, and sand flats.
Zebra, 2018 Mare (Wild Life Africa by Schleich)
Elephant Bull, Standing (AAA)
Another “Savanah Summer” and, much like last year, I’m bringing out the big guns! In Africa, there is no bigger than the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana). At 13ft tall and over 10 tonnes in weight, it is the true heavy weight, and take the title of largest land animal with ease (even though giraffes are taller).
Black-backed Jackal (Wildlife Collection by CollectA)
The black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) is a fixture of the east and southern African landscape. Usually seen skulking around the periphery of kills made by Africa’s much larger predators. Although regarded as lowly scavengers at the bottom of the predatory pecking order jackals are cunning, resourceful, and successful little generalist predators.
Diana Monkey (Wildlife Collection by CollectA)
The Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana) is a species of catarrhine (old-world) monkey native to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire. It’s named after the Roman goddess, Diana, goddess of wild animals and hunting, and the boundary between the wild and civilization, among other things. The Diana monkey gets this name due to its white crescent-shaped browband, which resembles the bow that the goddess is often depicted with.