Contrary to popular belief, the white tiger is not its own unique species or sub-species of tiger. In fact, according to Luke Hunter’s Carnivores of the World, all captive white tigers are descended from one wild individual. That individual was a male cub captured in Madhya Pradesh, India, in 1951.
Common Raven (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)
5 (4 votes)
It’s Halloween and what better way to end our spooky season than by looking at one of its most symbolic animals, the common raven (Corvus corax). The common raven ranges around the northern hemisphere and lives in all the varied habitats therein. As a result, it also features in the varied mythologies, folklore, and religions from wherever it lives.
Gray Wolf, mother and pups (Boxed Sets of Wild Life by Schleich)
3.7 (3 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Wolves (Canis lupus) are burdened with an unjustly sinister reputation for a variety of reasons and one is the centuries-old myth of werewolves. One most frightful tale is that of Peter Stubbe, ‘the Werewolf of Bedburg.’ In 1589, he confessed under torture to having received a wolfskin belt from the Devil that allowed him to transform into “the likeness of a greedy, devouring wolf, strong and mighty, with eyes great and large, which in the night sparkled like fire, a mouth great and wide, with most sharp and cruel teeth, a huge body, and mighty paws.” I will not go on to describe the many horrific crimes Stubbe committed, or the equally horrific punishment that was meted out to him on October 31, but suffice it to say, you shouldn’t read the entire story if you’re squeamish.
Castor Bean Tick (3B Scientific)
5 (2 votes)
For my next instalment of creepy critters for October, I decided to review the castor bean tick (also known in Europe as the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus) by Germany-based 3B Scientific. I also chose this figure because it’s my forum avatar, and I have never presented it here.
River Monster Collection (Toy Fish Factory)
4.3 (3 votes)
Thalassophobia is defined as the fear of deep and vast bodies of water, and the unseen creatures that lurk in them. Even if you don’t suffer from this phobia, I dare any person to look out upon the surface of any large body of water and not wonder about what strange and potentially dangerous creatures lurk unseen under its surface.
Scorpion (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (5 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Today I want to introduce you to a creepy crawly that is probably even more abhorred or feared than its close relatives, the spiders. Where I live this is mainly an abstract fear, as there are no scorpions here as of yet (let’s see what climate change brings us within the next 20 years).
Przewalski’s Horse (Horse Country by CollectA)
4.8 (5 votes)
Since its release in 2013 I’ve been eyeballing the CollectA Przewalski’s horse (pronounced shuh-VAL-skee and also known as the takhi) for my collection, even though I didn’t really collect extant animals at the time. What I was collecting were dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, and recently extinct animals too. So why the interest in this horse?
Common Otter (Wildlife by CollectA)
4 (9 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Otters belong to the mustelid family, which also includes weasels and their kin, badgers, skunks, and wolverines. There are currently 13 extant species of otter that all range from semiaquatic to marine in their lifestyles. The Eurasian or common otter (Lutra lutra) is probably the most familiar member of the lot, with a range throughout Europe, much of Asia, and parts of Africa and the Middle East.
Falcated Duck (Water and Lake Birds by Maia & Borges)
4.5 (2 votes)
Review and images by Birdsage; edited by bmathison1972
The Falcated Duck (Mareca falcata or Anas falcata) is a species of dabbling duck found in the wetlands in East Asia. It eats primarily water plants and aquatic invertebrates. It breeds in Russia and Mongolia and winters in East and Southeast Asia.
Bornean Ground-Cuckoo (Wildlife Conservation Society Series by Yowie Group)
4.7 (3 votes)
Review and images by Birdsage; edited by bmathison1972
The Sumatran ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis) and the Bornean Ground-Cuckoo (C. radiceus) are two closely-related species of terrestrial cuckoos that are endemic to Sumatra and Borneo, respectively. Both species are poorly known and rarely seen.
Bamboo Shark (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
5 (5 votes)
Bamboo sharks, also less glamorously known as longtail carpet sharks, belong to the family Hemiscylliidae within the order Orectolobiformes (carpet sharks). This makes them close kin to such familiar sharks as the whale, nurse, and zebra sharks. All of them are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific and the largest members of the family only reach about 4’ (1.2 meters).
Japanese Black Ant (The Arinko, Volumes 1 & 2 by J. Dream Co. Ltd.)
2.5 (2 votes)
Ladies and gentlemen, uh, we’ve just lost the picture, but what we’ve seen speaks for itself. The Animal Toy Blog has apparently been taken over, ‘conquered’ if you will, by a master race of giant space ants. It’s difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the blog reviewers or merely enslave us.