Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

also that data is from when I started. As figures get reviewed, they get removed from the database, and as new figures get added, some groups go back up . That's OK; this isn't data for a peer-reviewed publication -lol, just a fun way to randomly present figures .

[bmathison1972]

Species: Graellsia isabellae (Graëlls, 1849) (Spanish moon)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Paleo-Creatures
Series: Little Treasures of Europe
Year of Release: 2015
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.5 cm, within the scale 1:1. Display stands 5.0 cm.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is another figure made by forum member @Jetoar in his Paleo-Creatures line, albeit an extant species (if I remember correctly, this moth was the first extant animal he made in the Little Treasures of Europe Collection). The figure sits loosely, yes securely, on the branch; however, I made mine a permanent display by sealing it with glue. You can see one antenna has broken off; I think this happened during my last cross-country move.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Endemic to the Alps and Pyrenees of France and Spain
Habitat: Montane conifer forests
Diet: Larvae feed on Pinus (pine), primarily P. sylvestris (Scots pine) and P. nigra (Austrian, or black, pine); adults do not feed.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Data Deficient (protected species in Spain and France)
Miscellaneous Notes: Breeding populations have been found in Switzerland, where the species is not native. Genetically, Swiss specimens contain characteristics of both Spanish and French populations, and it is believed hybridization has occurred after the moth was introduced (intentionally or otherwise) by humans. Graellsia isabellae is fairly host-specific, even within Pinus, so an introduction to a new location would require the presence of an adequate pine species.

[Isidro]

WOOOOOAAAAHHHHH!!!! Actias isabellae, the nicest and most famous moth of my country! I had really no idea that it was made into figurine!

For you: a photo of one in a place where I traveled specifically for find this species (with great success! 2 males and 3 females arrived!)

[bmathison1972]

Thanks, Isidro! I was curious if you had encountered that species in nature

[bmathison1972]

Species: Photinus pyralis (Linnaeus, 1767) (common eastern firefly)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wicked Cool Toys
Series: Wild Krattz Creature Power Pack - Flyers Set
Year of Release: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length 4.8 cm for a scale of 5.3:1-3.2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure is marketed simply as a firefly; the species designation of P. pyralis is mine, based on the morphology of the figure in combination of this being the most common and familiar firefly in eastern North America (the TV show Wild Kraatz is produced in the US and Canada). The only other figure of this species I am aware of is by Wing Mau, which is specifically labeled as such.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America
Habitat: Forest edges, meadows, fields, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae are predaceous on insects, slugs, snails; adults do not feed.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Adult females are flightless; males fly to females and the two sexes communicate with each other using bioluminescent flash patterns. The light is produced by the enzyme luciferase catalyzed by oxygen, luciferin, and ATP. Fireflies can regulate their flash patterns, which are often unique per species. Some female fireflies mimic the flash patterns of other species, to lure males...for food!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Metacarcinus magister (Dana, 1852) (Dungeness crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: AAA
Series: AAA Crustaceans
Year of Release: Unknown
Size/Scale: Total figure width 30.0 cm. Carapace width 17.7 cm, within scale of 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many of their crustaceans and mollusks, AAA released at least two sizes of this species. This is the large one; I also have a small version that will be reviewed at a later date. AAA invertebrates are usually cast from actual specimens, as this one probably was.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Coast of North America, from the Aleutian Islands to Baja California Sur
Habitat: Sandy or muddy-sand bottoms in subtidal areas of bays and estuaries, often in eelgrass beds
Diet: Marine invertebrates, fish eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The Dungeness crab is a major part of the seafood industry along the West Coast of North America.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cybister chinensis Motschulsky, 1854 (giant Asian diving beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Series 3
Year of Release: 2000
Size/Scale: Body length 4.0 cm, within the range of 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This species is usually marketed as C. japonicus, which is now considered a synonym of C. chinensis. This is one of two figures of this species made by Kaiyodo. Being an early Chocoegg figure, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, Japan
Habitat: Freshwater, including lakes, ponds, ditches, canals, rice paddies
Diet: Predaceous on freshwater insects, microcrustaceans, tadpoles, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Although these beetles live in fresh water, they are capable of flight, and will often travel long distances to find new sources of water to colonize.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Apteryx mantelli Bartlett, 1852 (North Island brown kiwi)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Tennoji Capsule Zoo
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Base 4.5 cm long. Total figure height 4.0 cm tall. Animal 3.2 cm tall for a scale of approximately 1:12.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: How rare this species is depends on the species assignment a collector gives other generic kiwi figures and which taxonomy one chooses to follow; to my knowledge, this Kaiyodo figure and the Furuta Chocoegg Funny Animals figure are the only ones specifically marketed as the North Island race/species. The kiwi appears to be permanently attached to the habitat-style base which in turn appears to be permanently attached to the lime-green base that includes the Japanese and Latin names (I dare not risk separating them for fear of breakage).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Island, New Zealand
Habitat: Dense subtropical and temperate native forest; also introduced pine plantations, farms, disturbed areas
Diet: Soil and leaf litter invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Apteryx mantelli holds the world record for laying the largest eggs relative to its body size.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Bathynomus giganteus Milne-Edwards, 1879 (giant deep-sea isopod)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Nature Techni Colour
Year of Release: 2018 (2014)
Size/Scale: 28.7 cm, within scale of 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon (becoming more common)
Miscellaneous Notes: This life-sized model is a 2018 re-release the 2014 figure by Kitan Club, after Ikimon took over the Nature Techni Colour line from Kitan Club. Despite its size, it is fairly lightweight, as it made from hollow PVC.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Atlantic Ocean, from the southeastern USA to northern Brazil
Habitat: Bathydemersal, at depths of 310-2140 meters (usually 365-730 meters)
Diet: Primarily a scavenger on dead animals on the sea floor
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Bathynomus giganteus is the largest species of isopod known, having an average size range of 19 to 35 cm long, with some specimens reaching upwards of 50 cm long.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hydrurga leptonyx (de Blainville, 1820) (leopard seal)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure length 14.0 cm. Body length 15.0 cm for a scale of 1:16-1:23.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: A familiar species, leopard seals were relatively rare in toy form until 2017 when we got hit with them three years in a row, with figures by CollectA, Safari Ltd., and Papo, respectively. There has been a lot of discussion on the forums as to which is better of the three, and each seems to have one feature that makes it stand out from the other two. I initially had gone with the Papo model but after studying pics of the three posted by forum members, I replaced it with this Safari model.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal Antarctica and surrounding waters, with occasional vagrants reaching Australia, New Zealand, South America, and South Africa
Habitat: Pagophilic, usually on pack ice
Diet: Marine invertebrates, other seals, fish, penguins
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Leopard seals are one of the top predators around Antarctica, along with killer whales and southern elephant seals. Leopard seals also live in polygynous groups, whereby a male will mate with multiple females during the breeding season, which is usually in December and January. However, after mating males resume their solitary lives.

[JimoAi]

Species: Hydrurga leptonyx (de Blainville, 1820) (leopard seal)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure length 14.0 cm. Body length 15.0 cm for a scale of 1:16-1:23.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: A familiar species, leopard seals were relatively rare in toy form until 2017 when we got hit with them three years in a row, with figures by CollectA, Safari Ltd., and Papo, respectively. There has been a lot of discussion on the forums as to which is better of the three, and each seems to have one feature that makes it stand out from the other two. I initially had gone with the Papo model but after studying pics of the three posted by forum members, I replaced it with this Safari model.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal Antarctica and surrounding waters, with occasional vagrants reaching Australia, New Zealand, South America, and South Africa
Habitat: Pagophilic, usually on pack ice
Diet: Marine invertebrates, other seals, fish, penguins
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Leopard seals are one of the top predators around Antarctica, along with killer whales and southern elephant seals. Leopard seals also live in polygynous groups, whereby a male will mate with multiple females during the breeding season, which is usually in December and January. However, after mating males resume their solitary lives.

I went with the Papo as it's the best size for me. Can't stand the brown eyes so I coloured it with a black marker

[Isidro]

Wow, I had no idea they hunt other seals!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Eupatorus birmanicus Arrow, 1908 (rabbit beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: DeAgostini
Series: World Insect Data Book
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 5.7 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The DeAgostini figures are cast from actual specimens and are therefore all in the 1:1 range. The figures were sold as premiums with books and come in a plastic display box with their Latin and Japanese names. I am not sure what year the figures were released, and it is possible they were released over multiple years. The original set from Japan consisted of 60 species (59 male Scarabaeoidea and one dragonfly), plus four 'secret' figures representing females of select scarab males. When the set was released in Italy, three of the standard set were replaced with other species, including a leaf insect. Between the two releases and secrets, I think there are 67 figures total representing 63 species. The figures are secured to the base of the box with a small screw, but can be safely removed if one choses to display them outside of the box. For today's post, I removed the lid to highlight the unusual morphology visible laterally (and to measure it).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and Thailand
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Unknown. Presumably, larvae feed in rotting logs or on organic detritus in soil; adults, if they feed, are probably attracted to sap flows or overripe fruit.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had a hard time finding any information on the biology and total distribution of this species. Most of the beetles described by Arrow were from 'British India' (which included Burma, now Myanmar). Breeders and collectors often refer to this species as 'rabbit beetle' or 'rabbit ear beetle' because of the two upright pronotal horns that looks somewhat like rabbit ears.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Megasoma anubis Chevrolat, 1836

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King, standard series, small
Year of Release: Unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including horn) 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Another unique species by Sega in the expansive Mushi King line! The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures. They represented roughly 75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. 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 set, please see here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern Brazil
Habitat: Tropical forests
Diet: Larvae are undescribed. Adults are attracted to overripe fruit and feed on the inflorescence of Chinese fan palms (Livistona chinensis).
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Megasoma anubis is regarded as a pest of the Chinese fan palm in Brazil where the plant was introduced as an ornamental.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Randallia ornata (Randall, 1840) (purple globe crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Habitat Earth: Crabs
Year of Release: 1996
Size/Scale: Legspan 6.0 cm. Carapace width 2.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only other figure of this species I am aware of is the one by PEC, whose crab collection consists primarily of figures that were heavily influenced by, or copies of, Play Visions crabs.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal California and Baja California
Habitat: Benthic, sandy bottoms at a depth of 0-21 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, organic material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Randallia ornata is primarily nocturnal, staying buried in the sand during the day and coming out at night to feed.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Halcyon coromanda (Latham, 1790) (ruddy kingfisher)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Series 4
Year of Release: 2000
Size/Scale: Figure height 5.0 cm. Total body length 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being an older Chocoegg figure, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, Japan
Habitat: Dense temperate and tropical forests, riparian areas; occasionally disturbed areas, gardens, plantations, agricultural fields
Diet: Fish, amphibians, crustaceans, insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many birds, H. coromanda is monogamous. Pairs nest in tree holes, termite nests, and sand banks; both parents participate in digging, incubating, and care of the chicks.

[Isidro]

One of my most favourite Halcyon species, and maybe the most distinctive one - the only species of this genus that lacks blue colour!

[bmathison1972]

One of my most favourite Halcyon species, and maybe the most distinctive one - the only species of this genus that lacks blue colour!

Glad you like it. I was excited to finally get to use this particular Dioramansion background!

[sphyrna18]

This is such a great thread - all of your posts are so spot on, Blaine.  I think this is quickly becoming my favorite thread on the forum... or most any other forum, for that matter.  Your pictures do such a great job of showing off the figure, and, as you know, I'm a sucker for measurements and scales!  I didn't realize the DeAgostini set had a leaf insect... I always loved the presentation of those figures.  Very elegant.  And you were wise to replace the Papo Leopard Seal with the Safari!  Gorgeous figure!  Keep 'em coming man!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Potos flavus (Schreber, 1774) (kinkajou)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Caboodle! Toys, LLC
Series: Noah's Pals
Year of Release: 2007
Size/Scale: Upright figure 2.5 cm tall. Walking figure 4.0 cm long. Body length roughly 2.5 cm for a scale of approximately 1:16-1:24.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Noah's Pals were a line of animal figures that were first produced by Caboodle! Toys and later by Schleich. They are all approximately in the 1:24 scale and are classified in sub-sets based on abundance in nature (from Common to Endangered). Each species was sold as a male/female pair and were supplied with anthropomorphized names. Each pair of figures came with an information card that included a unique ID code. You could enter these codes at the Noah's Pals website and it would document which figures you had. Once you collected every figure and entered all the codes, you were mailed a pair of dodos!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America
Habitat: Closed-canopy tropical forests
Diet: Primarily fruit, occasionally insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Kinkajous are nocturnal, arboreal, and frugivorous cousins of the common raccoon. It is believed they evolved their arboreal habits independently. They are active at night and spend the day resting in treeholes or in dense vegetation, hidden from light and would-be predators, such as jaguars and harpy eagles.