Mathison Museum of Natural History

[Gwangi]

I only had a pet snake for a few seconds when I was about 4.  My dad came into the kitchen with a big snake in an old bucket and said Hey kiddo, wanna see your pet snake?  And I was like, I don't have a pet snake...  And he went Oh yes you do!  And my mom went Oh no you don't!  And she made us go put it way out in the woods.

Very similar to when I brought a chuckwalla home I caught (but only because I didn't have an adequate-sized terrarium for it). My mom loved the lizard!

I have one of those too. And would love to see a chuckwalla in Safari's IC line.

[bmathison1972]

I only had a pet snake for a few seconds when I was about 4.  My dad came into the kitchen with a big snake in an old bucket and said Hey kiddo, wanna see your pet snake?  And I was like, I don't have a pet snake...  And he went Oh yes you do!  And my mom went Oh no you don't!  And she made us go put it way out in the woods.

Very similar to when I brought a chuckwalla home I caught (but only because I didn't have an adequate-sized terrarium for it). My mom loved the lizard!

I have one of those too. And would love to see a chuckwalla in Safari's IC line.

I normally don't buy large IC reptiles, but I would a chuckwalla. Growing up in Phoenix, the Phoenix Zoo was (still is?) the largest zoo not funded by the government. It's all donations and animal 'adoptions'. After my brief encounter with the chuckwalla I caught, my mom an I 'adopted' the Phoenix Zoo's chuckwalla, meaning we donated $25/year to feed and maintain it . So, it's a personal, special animal to me

[bmathison1972]

Species: Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): common ostrich

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2011
Size/Scale: Adult 9.5 tall for a scale of 1:17-1:21. Chick 4.0 cm tall and within relative scale with the adult (although probably a bit on the large size, depending on the age of the chick)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: CollectA also released a 'sitting' ostrich chick in 2011. The adult, like most ostrich figures, is painted after a male. There is no shortage of ostrich figures. Other nice examples are the 2010 version by Safari Ltd. and the 2015 version by Schleich.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa (exclusive of forested areas and the Horn of Africa); naturalized in Australia
Habitat: Savanna, semi-deserts, deserts
Diet: Primarily seeds, grasses, flowers, fruit; occasionally carrion and invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: There are three extant species of S. camelus. The North African ostrich (S. c. camelus) occurs across the Sahel separating the Sahara Desert from the forested regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The South African ostrich (C. s. austalis) occurs in southern Africa south of the Zambezi and Cunene Rivers. The Masai ostrich (C. s. massaicus) occurs in East Africa, south of the Sahel and Horn of Africa. An extinct subspecies, the Arabian ostrich (C. s. syriacus) inhabited the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, and Iraq; it became extinct around 1966. In 2014, the Somali ostrich (C. molybdophanes) was elevated to species status based on molecular data that suggests the East African Rift has served as a geographic barrier to isolate it from the nominate subspecies for a sufficient enough time to warrant speciation. Ecological and behavioral differences have kept it genetically distinct from the Masai populations to the south. Molecular studies also suggest that the Somali ostrich is phylogenetically the most distinct, and diverged from a common ancestor with S. camelus approximately 3.6-4.1 million years ago.

[Gwangi]

I only had a pet snake for a few seconds when I was about 4.  My dad came into the kitchen with a big snake in an old bucket and said Hey kiddo, wanna see your pet snake?  And I was like, I don't have a pet snake...  And he went Oh yes you do!  And my mom went Oh no you don't!  And she made us go put it way out in the woods.

Very similar to when I brought a chuckwalla home I caught (but only because I didn't have an adequate-sized terrarium for it). My mom loved the lizard!

I have one of those too. And would love to see a chuckwalla in Safari's IC line.

I normally don't buy large IC reptiles, but I would a chuckwalla. Growing up in Phoenix, the Phoenix Zoo was (still is?) the largest zoo not funded by the government. It's all donations and animal 'adoptions'. After my brief encounter with the chuckwalla I caught, my mom an I 'adopted' the Phoenix Zoo's chuckwalla, meaning we donated $25/year to feed and maintain it . So, it's a personal, special animal to me

Many of the animals that are special to me are the local animals I've had encounters with too, so I can definitely relate.

I don't want to hijack your thread but I guess this is a good excuse to share my chuckwalla. His name is Turok. I've had him for about 7 years. I was told he was captive bred but I suspect he was really wild caught and that I was lied to. For the first few months he would only eat dandelion flowers. To this day he won't let me hold him without try to bite me or squirm away.

[bmathison1972]

Beautiful animal, thanks for sharing (highjack welcome lol)

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Urile perspicillatus (Pallas, 1811)
Common name(s): Pallas's cormorant; spectacled cormorant

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Zukon Extinction
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Total figure height 6.5 cm. Scale difficult to calculate, but using the ulna as a metric (n=1.7 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:11.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Some assembly is required and the bird is removable from its base (albeit leaving broad pegs under the feet). Cadbury also produced this species for the Yowies Forgotten Friends line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Russia (Bering Island) and Japan (Honshu); probably other islands in the Bering Sea or northern Japan
Habitat: Presumably rocky marine coasts.
Diet: Fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Extinct
Miscellaneous Notes: Urile perspicillatus went extinct around 1852. The specific cause of its extinction is unknown but was probably attributed to hunting for food and feathers. Human activity drastically increased on the island in the mid 1700s due to profitable whaling and hunting of sea otters and Arctic foxes, and the bird's population declined rapidly shortly thereafter. In 2018, Pleistocene fossils of U. perspicillatus were found in Honshu, Japan, marking the first pre-Holocene record of this species and the first record outside of Bering Island.

[Isidro]

When I say first announced the new Kaiyodo extinct animals line, that includes dinosaurs and a Steller's sea cow, I was excited to devinate that the small photo of an unpainted cormorant-like bird has to be a Pallas's cormorant, and my guess was confirmed after. But there is a series of things that make me not put in my wishlist. Assembly is required, what means that seams will be noticeable. Despite feet being removable from base, once cuting the pegs, they would be concave and not lie flat against a flat surface. The scale is a bit excessively big for my taste, and now I see that the paintjob quality could be a bit improved, especially the white streaks on head. And I don't need really two species of the very same genus when I already have the Papo's Phalacrocorax carbo (which is itself in fact also slightly too big for me). But I'm still grateful that a brand did a reasonably good rendition of a very osbcure and (for me) exciting extinct species.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cercopithecus diana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Diana monkey

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Total figure length 9.5 cm. Body length (exclusive of tail) 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:8-1:11
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 a small model by Play Visions from 1998.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Africa (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire)
Habitat: Primary rainforest, usually in the canopy
Diet: Fruit, flowers, young leaves, invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Groups of C. diana can consist of anywhere from 15 to 50 individuals. A group usually contains one sexually mature male, his female mates, and their offspring. Females tend to stay within their natal group through adulthood, whereas males disperse at maturity. Like many primate groups, there is a ranking system within groups of D. diana, making members compete for mating and resources. Under ideal conditions, females give birth annually, and typically just one offspring at a time.

[bmathison1972]

Oh...and tomorrow will be post 800, so I'll do a numbers/stats update 

[bmathison1972]

Species: Acanthopagrus schlegelii (Bleeker, 1853)
Common name(s): blackhead seabream; Japanese black porgy

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Favorite Co. Ltd.
Series: Aqua Fish
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:6.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The fish is removable from its habitat-style base. From what I can tell, the only other PVC figure of this species is also by Favorite, a 'strap' figure which may be the same sculpt as today's.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific (Japan, Korean Peninsula, north China, Taiwan)
Habitat: Bays, shallow rocky reefs, brackish waters; at depths of 1-40 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Acanthopagrus schlegelii is one of the most commercially valuable fish in Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, China, and Japan. In Japan it is also a very popular game fish. It is considered to have excellent meat quality, can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, and exhibits high resistance to disease.





With today's post being the 800th, it is time for a fun stats update.

Raw Numbers:

Number of time we've seen major groups in the Museum. These are raw numbers based on the posts, and doesn't account for figures that have been removed from my collection. In July 2022, I purged about 200 insect figures from my collection, including 52 that had already been showcased in the Museum. Since then, additional figures have been removed or replaced. The number in parenthesis is what the numbers were like at post 700.

Arthropods: 443 (392)
Mammals: 100 (89)
Fish: 75 (67)
Birds: 63 (48)
Non-Arthropod Invertebrates: 39 (38)
Reptiles: 36 (30)
Amphibians: 21 (17)
Dinosaurs: 18 (15)
Protozoans/Plankton: 5 (4)

*Taxonomic Notes. Birds include all theropods within Euavialae, extinct or extant. The Dinosaur category is for 'traditional' prehistoric dinosaur clades (except anything in Euavialae); pterosaurs; mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and other prehistoric aquatic reptiles; prehistoric crocodylomorphs; prehistoric non-mammal synapsids; and prehistoric reptiles with no close modern relatives. Amphibians include some prehistoric stem tetrapods.

Now, within Arthropods. Like with the major groups above, this is based on all posts, including those that have been removed and/or replaced in my collection. The number in parenthesis is what the numbers were like at post 700:

Insects: 313 (286)
Crustaceans: 65 (51)
Arachnids: 47 (39)
Misc. Arthropods: 18 (16)


Here are posts that remove two or more figures from the database. This is usually done when the same species has more than one example in a set or collection (e.g., male and female figures released together), but may also be used for uncommonly or rarely made species by the same company or for the rare instances the non-arthropod part of my collection is not synoptic (e.g., a shark where the adult is made by one company and a juvenile by the other). For the database, with the exception of life cycle sets, one line represents one figure. So, in these cases it is when the random number generator lands on one of the two (or more), but both (or more) are reviewed and removed. The following is how many times we have seen posts that remove two or more from the database; the number in parenthesis is how many there were at the 700th post:
Two figures: 71 (62)
Three figures: 5 (5)
Four figures: 2 (2)
Five figures: 1 (1)


Now some interesting tidbits of information:

Species that have been seen more than once:
Allomyrina dichotoma (12), Allotopus rosenbergi (5), Anomalocaris canadensis (2), Anoplophora chinensis (2), Apis mellifera (4), Armadillidium vulgare (3), Atrax robustus (2), Bathynomus giganteus (4), Beckius beccarii (2), Birgus latro (2), Bombyx mori (2), Brachypelma smithi (4), Cambaroides japonicus (2), Chalcosoma chiron (4), Chalcosoma moellenkampi (3), Cheirotonus jambar (3), Chiromantes haematocheir (2), Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (2), Coccinella septempunctata (4), Cybister chinensis (3), Cyclommatus elaphus (2), Danaus plexippus (7), Daphina pulex (2), Dorcus grandis (2), Dorcus hopei (4), Dynastes grantii (3), Dynastes hercules (10), Dynastes neptunus (5), Gelasimus tetragonon (2), Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata (3), Hebomoia glaucippe (2), Heliconius charithonia (2), Hyalophora cecropia (2), Idea leuconoe (3), Lamprima adolphinae (2), Latrodectus hasselti (2), Latrodectus mactans (4), Locusta migratoria (3), Lucanus cervus (4), Lucanus maculifemoratus (6), Macrocheira kaempferi (3), Mantis religiosa (2), Megasoma actaeon (2), Megasoma elaphas (3), Mesotopus tarandus (6), Morpho menelaus (4), Morpho peleides (2), Odontolabis burmeisteri (3), Ogyris genoveva (2); Onchorhynchus clarkii (2), Pandinoides cavimanus (2), Pandinus imperator (2), Papilio machaon (3), Papilio xuthus (3), Phalacrognathus muelleri (2), Procambarus clarkii (3), Prosopocoilus dissimilis (2), Prosopocoilus giraffa (4), Prosopocoilus inclinatus (7), Rosalia batesi (2), Sasakia charonda (2), Vespa mandarinia (2).

Genera with more than one species:
Acherontia (2), Aeshna (2), Aglais (2), Allomyrina (2), Ameerega (2), Anas (2), Androctonus (2), Aphonopelma (2), Argiope (2), Atergatis (2), Bison (2), Carabus (2), Carcharhinus (2), Chalcosoma (3), Cheirotonus (3), Coccinella (2), Cyclommatus (3), Dorcus (5); Dynastes (3), Dyscophus (2), Equus (3), Eupatorus (2), Falco (2), Goliathus (3), Hexarthrius (4), Lactoria (2), Lamprima (2), Latrodectus (3), Lucanus (2), Lynx (2), Macaca (2), Manis (2), Megasoma (4), Morpho (5), Myotis (2), Odontolabis (3), Oncorhynchus (3), Ornithoptera (4), Panulirus (4), Papilio (7), Parnassius (2), Polistes (2), Pongo (2), Portunus (2), Prosopocoilus (7), Rhaetulus (2), Rosalia (2), Scolopendra (2), Spheniscus (4), Ursus (2), Vespa (3), Zerene (2).


Companies:

Here are a list of companies (alphabetical order) and how many have come up in each (some posts can have more than one company). Companies with an asterisk are new since the last stats update:
   
4D Master  4
AAA  4
Access Toys  1
Adventure Planet  1
Agatsuma Entertainment  2
AMT/Ertl  1
AquaKitz  1
Aquameridian Ltd./For Corporation  1
Arboreum Artwork  3
Ayano Katyama  3
Bandai/Bandai Spirits  17
Beam  1
Beauty of Beasts  1
Blip Toys  2
Break Co. Ltd.  1
Bullyland  10
Cadbury/Yowie Group  32
CBIOV  1
Club Earth/Wing Mau  31
Coca Cola  3
CollectA  36
Colorata  33
DeAgostini  20
Discovery Channel  1
Dreams Come True Ltd.  2
Easter Unlimited Ltd.  1
Eikoh  2
Epoch/Tarlin  12
FaunaFigures  1
Favorite Co.  5
F-toys  14
Funrise Toys  4
Hayakawa Toys  4
Ikimon/Kitan Club  31
Imperial Toys  1
Innovative Kids  2
Insect Lore  7
Jam  2
K&M International  20
Kabaya  11
Kaiyodo/Furuta  133
Koro Koro  2
Land & Sea Collectibles  2
Maia & Borges  3
Maruka  1
Mojö Fun  6
My Favorite Animals  1
Naturalism  4
NECA  1
Nihon Auto Toy  1
Noah's Pals  1
Paleocasts  3
Paleo-Creatures  5
Papo  19
Play Visions  25
PNSO  4
Qualia  2
Rainforest Café  1
Rebor  1
Re-Ment  3
Royal Ontario Museum  1
Running Press  1
Safari Ltd.  83
Schleich  11
Science and Nature  5
Sega  41
ShanTrip  3
Shine-G  3
Skillcraft  2
SO-TA/Toys Spirits  3
Southlands Replicas  7
Stasto 3D File  3
Stewart Sales Services  1
Takara Tomy A.R.T.S./Subarudo  29
Tedco Toys  1*
Toy Fish Factory/Replica Toy Fish  6
Toy Major  7
Trendmasters  2
Trilobiti Design 1
US Toy  3
Vivid Toy Group  2
Wild Kraatz  2
Yell  3
Yujin  35
unknown  13


Anyway, we'll look at stats again after post 900!! Until then, enjoy the posts!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Megasoma actaeon (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Actaeon beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King, standard series, large
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including cephalic horn) 12.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large major male.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our third look at M. actaeon in the Museum. Mine came assembled, but it looks like there may be minimal assembly (looks like the front legs, as one piece, are removable). I also have this species in Sega's 'large DX' series. This is another figure I would have rather photographed outside, but a Nearctic winter isn't appropriate for a large, tropical insect . I did, however, add an 'in-hand' pic (see inset), since this is such a large and impressive figure in the 1:1 scale.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting logs, compost, and rich soil; adults are attracted to overripe fruit and sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Megasoma actaeon is generally regarded as one of the heaviest, if not the heaviest, beetle. Adult major males can weigh over 150 grams and the larvae over 220 grams!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cicindela campestris Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): green tiger beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Insects
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 4.5 cm for a scale of 3.75:1-2.6:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Wing Mau Insects collection consists of 24 figures representing 23 species of beetles (there are two color variants of Adalia bipunctata). The figures have the Latin name printed on the underside. The figures seem to have been influenced by an Italian poster, Beetles, from 1992, as all the species are represented in that poster (including both variants of A. bipunctata) and have the same Latin names assigned to them (this poster hangs in my home office; I've had it since 1995). Figures in this set were also produced for Play Visions for their Habitat Earth line. Most of the species in this Wing Mau collection are unique, at least as sculpts. The only other figure of today's species I am aware of was made by forum member Jetoar for the Little Treasures of Europe line of Paleo-Creatures.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe
Habitat: Heathland, dunes, sandy grassland, moorland, hillsides, roadsides; usually in open areas with dry sandy or chalky soil
Diet: Terrestrial arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Both adults and larvae of C. campestris are voracious predators. Larvae live in burrows with their heads flush with the ground and are ambush predators of insects and other terrestrial arthropods passing by. Adults are very active, running and darting with short bursts of flight while chasing prey, usually in areas of bright sunlight. Like other tiger beetles, C. campestris is very fast and has been reported at speeds of 60 cm/sec. Their speed makes them challenging for insect collectors to catch!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Caiman yacare (Daudin, 1802)
Common name(s): yacare caiman; jacare caiman

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Body length 15.0 cm for a scale of 1:10-1:14
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. only marketed this figure as a caiman, mentioning both the genera Caiman and Melanosuchus on their website. When I first got it, I assumed it was a black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) because of the overall darker appearance (although color can change seasonally and during the course of a caiman's lifespan). However, upon further research and discussion with other forum members, we concluded it better represents the spectacled caimain (C. crocodilus) or the yacare caiman (C. yacare). I chose to have mine represent C. yacare given the prominent blotches on the side of the body and jaw, which are more pronounced in adult C. yacare than C. crocodilus. Also, M. niger is the largest member of the Alligatoridae, so one should expect the figure to be larger if Safari intended it to represent that species. Safari Ltd. did specifically release a black caiman in their 2021 South America Animals TOOB, however.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America (southern Amazon and Paraguay-Parana Basins)
Habitat: Most freshwater habitats, including flooded forests, wetlands, slow-moving rivers
Diet: General carnivore; prey includes mammals, birds, snakes, turtles, mollusks, aquatic insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Caiman yacare has often been considered a subspecies of the C. crocodilus. Molecular studies show that the C. crocodilus complex consists of four evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) and that the Honduras population of the brown caimain (C. crocodilus fuscus) and C. yacare are unique and separate evolutionary lineages, having diverged from C. crocodilus about 6 mya and are considered geographically and reproductively isolated from C. crocodilus from the Orinoco and Amazon Basins. The Brazilian Shield, which forms most of the northern boundary of C. yacare's distribution, causes the Río Madera constriction, an effective barrier to upstream migration of C. crocodilus from the north. While hybridization is possible at the very limited areas of contact between the two species, there has been no detectable genetic introgression. However, more work is needed to map the boundries of caiman populations and to characterize their phlyogeography; contact zones between populations can prove valuable in resolving taxonomic relationships.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Copepteryx hexeris Olson & Hasegawa, 1996

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 3
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Total figure height 6.2 cm. Scale difficult to calculate, but using the mandible (lower beak) as a metric (n=1.0 cm), the scale comes to approximately 1:23 for one of the paratypes of C. hexeris.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Assembly is required and part of the bird's feet are part of the base. Kaiyodo only marketed this figure as Copepteryx. Since both known species were described in the same paper, and since both species were endemic to Japan, it could represent either (see below). I chose mine to represent C. hexeris since that species is better represented in the fossil record and it is the type species for the genus.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Oligocene of Japan
Habitat: Rocky marine shores
Diet: Fish; possibly also cephalopods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: In 1996, Olson and Hasegawa described two species of Copepteryx from the Late Oligocene of Japan. The type species, C. hexeris, is known from several fossils collected on the Ainoshima, Kyushu, and Honshu Islands. The second species, C. titan, is known only from a left femur from Ainoshima Island and differs from C. hexeris only in size (being much larger as the species epithet titan suggests).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Eupatorus gracilicornis Arrow, 1908
Common name(s): five-horned rhinoceros beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: B.I.G. Beetles
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) 8.6 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large male specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen E. gracilicornis in the Museum. Not one of the more commonly-made species, but still a standard among some Japanese companies. There is some assembly required for this figure.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood; adults feed on nectar, plant sap, and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many large dynastine scarab beetles, E. gracilicornis has marked sexual dimorphism. Males (as shown here today) have four large pronotal horns and one cephalic horn (hence the common name, 'five-horned rhinoceros beetle'). Females have a more rugose pronotum and lack the pronotal and cephalic horns.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dorcus hopei binodulosus Waterhouse, 1874

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Nature of Japan Vol. 3
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 6.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fifth time we've seen D. h. binodulosus in the Museum; it is one of the most commonly produced species by Japanese manufacturers. With several good options available, this is one of the best examples of this species produced, along with those by F-toys (2011, 2016) and Kaiyodo (2013).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae breed in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dorcus hopei binodulosus is popular with beetle breeders as it is very easy to rear in terraria. There are concerns however with escaped beetles in Japan competing with, or having genetic introgression with, native species and subspecies in places where reared strains, species, or subspecies of Dorcus are not native to.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Vombatus ursinus (Shaw, 1800)
Common name(s): common wombat; coarse-haired wombat; bare-nosed wombat

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:12.7-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was intended to represent a nursing mother, as it was sculpted with a baby poking its head and left front paw out of its pouch (see inset).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeastern Australia, including Tasmania
Habitat: Open woodlands and montane forest, heathlands, alpine grassland, coastal scrub
Diet: Primarily grasses, sedges, mosses; also shrubs, roots, tubers, bark
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Vombatus ursinus has low metabolic activity and a large digestive tract (in relation to its body), allowing it to digest vegetation that would otherwise be poor quality to other herbivores. The stomach is small and very acidic and the small intestine is simple. The large intestine houses microbial fermentation and consists of a proximal colon (which makes up approximately 60-80% of gut contents), a cecum, and distal colon. It takes about two weeks for a wombat to digest its food. Vombatus ursinus is also known for its cube-shaped dung, which are formed near the terminal end of the intestinal tract. It is believed the fecal pellets are cube-shaped because it prevents the dung from rolling away, and wombats use their dung for marking their territories.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Erinaceus amurensis Schrenk, 1858
Common name(s): Amur hedgehog; Manchurian hedgehog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 10
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Base of figure 2.7 cm in diameter. Scale difficult to calculate, but body length approximately 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:3-1:5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Minimal assembly is required. From what I can tell, this figure is unique for this species. Kaiyodo made rolled-up four-toed hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris) for the Capsule Q Museum Hedgehogs and Sugar Gliders collection, but they do not represent the same sculpt and do not require assembly.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia (southeastern Russia, eastern China, Korean Peninsula)
Habitat: Mixed woodlands, forest edges, steppes, shrublands, grasslands, agricultural fields, city parks
Diet: Primarily terrestrial invertebrates; occasionally mice, frogs, fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Much like porcupines and echidnas, E. amurensis and other hedgehogs use their keratin-based quills for defense against would be predators, an excellent example of convergent evolution! Unlike the quills of porcupines, the quills of hedgehogs do not come out. A major predator of E. amurensis is the sable (Martes zibellina).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Himantolophus groenlandicus Reinhardt, 1837
Common name(s): Atlantic footballfish

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Deep Sea Fish
Year of Production: 2015 (2009)
Size/Scale: Body length 5.7 cm for a scale of approximately 1:10
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: My figure is the 2015 release of a model that originally came out in 2009 (although the 2009 version had a slightly different base). Minimal assembly is required (the illicium/esca comes as a separate piece) and the fish is removable from its base. The only other figure I am aware of that was specifically marketed as H. groenlandicus is by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. for the Deep Sea Fish Encyclopedia 1 (2010). I actually like the Takara figure a little more than this one by Colorata, but I had bought the entire Colorata set and decide to retain this figure. It has been suggested that based on morphology, CollectA's 2022 anglerfish also represents H. groenlandicus; however, that figure comes with a parasitic male which H. groenlandicus doesn't have.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Nearly worldwide in subarctic, temperate, and tropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans
Habitat: Mesopelagic to bathypelagic, at depths of 200-1830 meters (usually 200-800 meters)
Diet: Fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Himantolophus groenlandicus and other deep-sea anglerfish are best known for their method of attracting potential prey. The modified dorsal ray forms a fishing rod-like organ (illicium) with a bioluminescent tip (esca); the bioluminescence is produced by symbiotic bacteria that live in the esca. The fish dangles its esca in front of its large, tooth-lined mouth to attract small fish; when the fish get close, the anglerfish devour them! It's been suggested that the lure is also used by females to attract potential mates.

[bmathison1972]

Oooo I get to use some of the new diorama components already...


Species: Dorcus rectus (Motschulsky, 1857)
Common name(s): little stag beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Stag Beetles Vol. 4
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Wingspan 14.5 cm. Body length (excluding mandibles) 6.5 cm, for a scale of 2:1 for a large male specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen D. rectus in the Museum. Like most other models in the Diversity of Life on Earth line, this beetle is large, requires assembly, is articulated, and may be expensive. It's a model for serious collectors and not a toy to be played with. Sega also produced D. rectus, at least twice that I am aware of.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia (eastern China, eastern Russia, Taiwan, Korea, Japan)
Habitat: Hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed in dead hardwood infected with white rot fungus; adults are attracted to sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dorcus rectus is one of the few lucanid species with documented mandible trimorphism, meaning there are three different mandible types in the males. Males can have long mandibles with two pairs of teeth, long mandibles with one pair of teeth, and intermediate mandibles with no teeth. These three mandible types appear to be proportional to the body size of the beetle, from largest to smallest, respectively.