Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834)
Common name(s): scalloped hammerhead

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Sealife
Year of Production: 2008
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 16.0 cm for a scale of 1:15.6-1:26.9 for a female specimen (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure has only four gill slits on the left side but the correct number of five slits on the right side. The scale above is calculated based on a female due to a lack of claspers on the figure. It could scale down to 1:9.4 for a male.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Circumglobal in tropical and subtropical seas and oceans
Habitat: Coastal-pelagic; at depths of 0-1,043 meters (usually 0-25 meters)
Diet: Young sharks feed on benthic and neritic fish in coastal waters; adults feed on bony fish, smaller sharks and rays, cephalopods, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Sphyrna lewini was the first shark to be protected under the Endangered Species Act and is currently categorized as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Overfishing is believed to be the main reason for the species' decline. The scalloped hammerhead is slow growing, matures late, and has a relatively low fecundity, making it particularly prone to the effects of overfishing.

[sphyrna18]

As always, a tremendous overview of the species and figure!!  The CollectA Scalloped Hammerhead is such a charming figure!  It has several inaccuracies, but it is slender and graceful and looks simply fantastic from certain angles.  Keep 'em coming, Blaine!

[EpicRaptorMan]

This is a figure I've considered getting but am unsure of.. I already have a Great Hammerhead

[bmathison1972]

Species: Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): three-spined stickleback

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Freshwater Fish Pictorial Book 1
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 4.3 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:2.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (possibly unique as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: Yujin released this figure at least twice; I believe mine is from the first release. The fish is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Boreal and temperate Northern Hemisphere
Habitat: Coastal brackish, freshwater, and marine habitats. Freshwater populations are found in coastal rivers, streams, lakes, ditches, backwaters. Marine and brackish populations are found in estuaries, sheltered bays, marshes, coastal seas.
Diet: Freshwater invertebrates, terrestrial invertebrates that fall into water, plankton; cannibalism of eggs and fry not uncommon
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Gasterosteus aculeatus exhibits some cooperative behavior, especially for cooperative predator inspection which allows for the acquisition of information of the potential risk of a would-be predator. The behavior is usually performed by pairs of fish that work together regularly. The strategy employed by three-spined sticklebacks is considered a tit-for-tat (TFT) strategy, whereby the two fish simulate each other's moves, allowing for a combination of collaborative, retaliatory, and forgiving behavioral responses. One downfall, is that if the predator turns out to be hungry, it could cost one of the fish its life.

[sbell]

I think you're correct, yours is probably the first release. It has fewer colours than my version!

[bmathison1972]

I think you're correct, yours is probably the first release. It has fewer colours than my version!

I bought a complete set of series 1; I think they are all first release. But my scattered species from series 2 could be a mix of first and second releases as I've piecemealed the figures over time.

[sbell]

I think you're correct, yours is probably the first release. It has fewer colours than my version!

I bought a complete set of series 1; I think they are all first release. But my scattered species from series 2 could be a mix of first and second releases as I've piecemealed the figures over time.

I have the same situation. Mostly release two, with some random release one

[bmathison1972]

Species: Anser cygnoides domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Chinese goose; African goose; domestic swan goose

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Farm Life
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Figure stands approx. 6.5 cm tall and is approx. 8.5 cm wide. Using body length as a metric (n=8.5 cm), scale comes to approx. 1:9.5-1:11.1.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: CollectA produced two versions of this goose in 2012; this one, a male with its wings open, and a female in a neutral pose.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Domestication originated in China and is now bred nearly worldwide.
Habitat: Farmland, pastureland; feral populations found near sources of freshwater including lakes, ponds, parks
Diet: Sedges, grasses, aquatic plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: All domestic geese are descended from two species, the swan goose (A. cygnoides) and the graylag goose (A. anser). The graylag goose was domesticated in Western Asia, Europe, and Africa while the swan goose was domesticated in China and other parts of East Asia. The swan goose is thought to have been domesticated in China around 1,000 BC. There are two breeds of domesticated swan goose, African and Chinese. Both originated in Asia; the African probably got its common name because it is believed that it first arrived in Europe via Madagascar. While this is a domesticated species, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations considers it endangered while the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) considers it at risk.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dynastes grantii Horn, 1870
Common name(s): western Hercules beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - small series, standard
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) approx. 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:2 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fifth time we have D. grantii in the Museum. The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing 65-75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. The dates of release are currently unknown to me (c. 2008). The figures were produced in conjunction with Bandai and came with Pokemon-style playing cards. At the time of this writing, I think I have all but two of the species. For a review of the sets, please see the overview by forum member Beetle guy here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southwestern United States, northern Mexico
Habitat: Subtropical woodlands, particularly in the pine-oak transition zones; often in riparian areas.
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of several trees; adults feed on tree sap, primarily of Fraxinus velutina (Arizona ash).
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other large dynastines, D. grantii exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. Males have pronounced cephalic and pronotal horns while females lack horns. Dynastes grantii often has longer horns than its congener in the eastern United States, D. tityus.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Paralithodes camtschaticus (Tilesius, 1815)
Common names(s): Alaskan king crab; red king crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Yasei Strap Figure Collection
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Legspan 5.2 cm. Carapace width approx. 1.5 cm for a scale of 1:4.6-1:18.7.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our third time seeing P. camtschaticus in the Museum. As the name of the set suggests, this figure came as a 'strap' figure. Luckily, the strap was easily unscrewed leaving a tiny, unobtrusive hole.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern Pacific, including the Japan, Okhotsk, and Bering Seas and the Gulf of Alaska; introduced to the Barents Sea
Habitat: Benthic; at depths of 0-461 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Paralithodes camtschaticus is probably the most coveted commercially sold crustacean, and is the most expensive by weight. However, harvesting Alaskan king crabs is extremely dangerous and is currently ranked as the most dangerous job in the United States! There is an estimated 300 fatalities per 100,000 fisherman annually. Alaskan king crab season is between October and January in frigid northern waters. Most deaths are attributed to drowning and hypothermia, but also operating equipment needed to haul the catch up.

[Isidro]

That's the same king crab I own, the only realistic model of this species enough small to fit into my scale preferences.