Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Animals with misleading names are baffling and humorous at the same time. There is the great white shark, which is about 80% gray, the bearcat, which is neither a bear nor a cat, A red panda isn’t a panda, a horny toad isn’t a toad, the list goes on.
Review and images by Birdsage; edited by bmathison1972
Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) are the subject of several myths that put it in danger. It is sometimes thought that they are an invasive species not indigenous to Hawaii, but brought there by humans in very recent history.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Over the last few years, various companies have given us a whole slew of fish figures: Yujin with their accurate depictions of the Finding Nemo characters, along with some obscure species like the pineapple fish in their first Saltwater Fish in Colour set; Kaiyodo pumping out obscure fish species like the dorado, Kidako moray, and the Clark’s anemone fish for their Aquatales lines; Colorata with their various fish sets: the Fossil Fish and Deep Sea Fish sets are two examples; Safari Ltd.
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Colorata is a Japanese company that has been around for several decades. The internet and global market made their models available to the world outside Asia and the quality of their products made them desirable collector items. A lot of Colorata’s figures have been released as parts of a box, set, of which there are quite a lot to choose from, “fossil fish”, birds of prey, sharks, dinosaurs, cats and a lot more.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The carpet sharks (Orectolobiformes) includes some of the more interesting shark species in all shapes and sizes: cute bamboos, blinds, collared carpets, zebra sharks, the so called ‘walking shark’ (epualette shark), the sluggish nurse shark, the unpredictable and aggressive wobbegong, and the enormous whale shark (Rhincodon typus).
Today I will be reviewing a collection of butterflies by Innovative Kids. It is from their Junior Groovies collection, which is a lot like the familiar Groovy Tube Books collection, but for a younger audience (ages 3-6, or, in this case, 48-year-olds who collect toy insects). First of all, I should thank STS forum member Saarlooswolfhound for alerting me to this on Amazon.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
“A shark!” a couple exclaimed as a bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma) swims past the aquarium viewing panel. It swished its shark like tail from side to side but has a flattened head of a ray, making it look like a hybrid of a shark and a ray.
The sharks of the genus Alopias, within the family Alopiidae, are among the oddest and most recognizable sharks. Commonly known as the thresher sharks there are 3 extant species: the pelagic, common, and bigeye thresher. Their exceptionally long tail has long been the stuff of myth and speculation.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
After the kangaroo, the most famous and beloved Australian animal has to be the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) with its thick fur, round face, prominent nose, and even more prominent ears. Not surprisingly then, the humble marsupial has enjoyed a huge abundance of toys, mostly plush ones, but a good many plastic ones as well.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Sharks are master hunters. They have inhabited the world’s oceans since the Silurian period and are still standing strong today, even though their population is dwindling due to human greed. They have a basic body plan of a streamlined body, having cartilage rather than bone for their skeletal structure, external gill slits on either sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
In the warm seas of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a small part of the reef got dark as it is obscured by a diamond-shaped shadow, the entity which casted the shadow flaps her wing-like pectoral fins to propel herself through the water as she opens her mouth to feed on krill and zooplankton.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Out of all the shark species, the most distinguishable group is probably the ones from the family Sphyrnidae, while all but the winghead shark of the genus Eusphyra are placed under the genus Sphyra, better known as the hammerhead sharks.
