Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Physignathus cocincinus Cuvier, 1829
Common name(s): Chinese water dragon; green water dragon

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Primary Colour Lizards Book
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approximately 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:4.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure has an interesting pedigree. Many of the figures in Yujin's 2002 lizard collection are reuses of figures produced by Wing Mau for Club Earth and Play Visions, sometimes using the sculpt for a different species than the original. Such was the case for today's Chinese water dragon. Wing Mau originally produced this sculpt for Club Earth as a green iguana (presumably a juvenile specimen). Figures produced by both Wing Mau and Yujin have the animal's common English name printed on the underside, so there is no doubt to the species' intended identity. Interestingly, this is not the only iguana-water dragon switcheroo. AAA produced two Chinese water dragons that were cast from actual specimens, and yet interestingly were sold mislabeled as iguanas!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia (southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar); introduced to Taiwan
Habitat: Lowland rainforest, usually along rocky streams and lakes; occasionally around vegetated streams near villages and agricultural fields
Diet: Primarily insects; occasionally mollusks, crustaceans, small vertebrates (fish, reptiles, birds, mammals), eggs, and vegetation
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Physignathus cocincinus is diurnal, and spends much of its time on the branches of trees or on other plants overhanging water. When a would-be predator or other threat approaches, the lizard dives into the water where it can either safely swim away or stay submerged for upwards of 90 minutes.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Gastornis gigantea (Cope, 1876)
Common name(s): terror bird

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Figure height approximately 7.0 cm. Scale difficult to calculate based on posture, but using skull as a metric (n=3.0 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:17
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Earlier figures of this genus are usually sold under the name Diatryma, which is now considered a synonym of Gastornis. The 1998 model by Bullyland was sold as a 'Predatory Ratite' even though we now know these birds were not closely related to modern ratites. Decent smaller versions of this genus were made by Kaiyodo (2001) and Colorata (2019).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Lower to Middle Eocene of present day western North America
Habitat: Riparian woodlands, coastal marshes, forested lake margins, savanna
Diet: Plant material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Gastornis gigantea has historically been depicted as a predator, usually hunting small horses. Recent studies suggest it was an obligate herbivore. The bird lacked a prominently hooked beak and hooked talons on the hing legs, which are common features of extant predatory birds. The large beak of Gastornis may have been used for cracking nuts and seeds or shearing grasses. Studies of calcium isotopes in bones of Gastornis showed no evidence of meat in its diet.

[Gwangi]

I have this one, and Kaiyodo's. Lovely figures. I wish Safari would give us some more prehistoric birds. A Doug Watson terror bird would be fantastic.

[bmathison1972]

I have this one, and Kaiyodo's. Lovely figures. I wish Safari would give us some more prehistoric birds. A Doug Watson terror bird would be fantastic.

When preparing the post I almost added a comment about wanting more large flightless prehistoric birds. CollectA has a Kelenken, but it's too big for my tastes.

[SerAndrew]

I'm not a fan of this figure, but I'd like to get one.
But it's retired and not available...

[Gwangi]

Not a fan of the CollectA Kelenken. I do have a Phorusrhacos by X-Plus though. It's modeled after the one from Mysterious Island.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pseudoryx nghetinhensis Dung et al., 1993
Common name(s): saola; spindlehorn; Asian unicorn; Vũ Quang ox

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:19
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was unique for its species until Kinder Joy released one in 2022. Akin to Yowies, the Kinder toy is small, requires assembly, and may have articulations.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Annamite Mountains of Vietnam and Laos
Habitat: Wet montane evergreen and deciduous forests, riparian areas, marshes, swamps
Diet: Plants, primarily ferns and angiosperms
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Despite its resemblance to antelopes, P. nghetinhensis is a 'true cattle' in the tribe Bovini. Morphologic features of the horns suggest a basal placement within Bovinae, although molecular studies support it being nestled within Bovini. Some authorities has proposed the monotypic tribe Pseudoygini to accommodate the species.

[Isidro]

The diorama/background this time went awesomely realistic

[bmathison1972]

Species: Opsariichthys uncirostris (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)
Common name(s): three-lips; piscivorous chub

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 6
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 6.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.9-1:6.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Choco Q Animatales figures, some assembly is required and the fish is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, Japan
Habitat: Large lakes and ponds and adjoining rivers
Diet: Fish, terrestrial insects that fall onto the surface of the water
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Opsariichthys uncirostris has an interesting ecological situation in Japan. It is threatened in its native habitats, such as the Lake Biwa and Lake Mikata water systems, but is threatening other native fish species in parts of Japan where it has been introduced.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Poecilotheria regalis Pocock, 1899
Common name(s): Indian ornamental tarantula; Indian ornamental tree spider

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Tarlin
Series: Action Creature Series: Tarantulas Vol. 2
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Legspan approximately 13.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.7 for a very large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. regalis in the Museum. This figure was not marketed at the species level and the identification is mine based on color and that it's a familiar and popular species (at least in the pet trade), although several Poecilotheria species can have white/silver morphs. This same sculpt was used for two other species in the set and three 'generic' tarantulas in Volume 1 by Epoch (Tarlin is a subsidiary of Epoch). There is substantial assembly required (17 pieces) and the final product is articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern India (Western and Eastern Ghats)
Habitat: Montane rainforest, dry deciduous forest, tropical savanna; arboreal
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Poecilotheria regalis is an arboreal species, living in tall trees where it is an ambush predator of flying insects.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Saguinus imperator (Goeldi, 1907)
Common name(s): emperor tamarin

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Primates TOOB
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure 5.0 cm long. Body length (exclusive of tail) approximately 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:7.7-1:8.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: There are two subspecies of S. imperator; the all-black chin in this figure suggests it was modeled after the nominate subspecies, the black-chinned emperor tamarin, S. i. imperator.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America (West Amazon region of northwestern Brazil, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia)
Habitat: Amazonian lowland and low montane rainforest; arboreal
Diet: Primarily fruit, seeds, tree sap, invertebrates; occasionally small lizards, frogs, bird eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Saguinus imperator is a social and gregarious species. Group members are ranked by sex, with the oldest female usually holding the highest rank. Agonistic behavior is not uncommon between members of the same sex. The species is polyandrous with a single female mating with two or more males.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Penaeus monodon Fabricius, 1798
Common name(s): giant tiger prawn; Asian tiger prawn; black tiger shrimp

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: AAA
Series: Sea World
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (exclusive of appendages) approximately 21.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: AAA produced two versions of this species, in large and small; the one showcased today is the larger of the two (I don't own the smaller version). Like many of AAA's marine invertebrates, this figure was probably cast from an actual specimen.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific; naturalized in the West Atlantic Ocean off the southern United States and in the Gulf of Mexico
Habitat: Benthic; younger prawns live in estuaries, lagoons, and mangroves while adults live farther out on rocky or muddy bottoms at depths of 0-110 meters (usually 20-50 meters)
Diet: Other benthic marine invertebrates, algae, detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Penaeus monodon is one of the most commercially important marine crustaceans; its annual haul is second only to the whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vaannamei). In 2014, it was estimated over 850,000 metric tonnes of tiger shrimp were harvested from commercial fisheries.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Padda oryzivora (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Java sparrow; Java finch; Java rice bird

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Furuta
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Pet Series 1
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.1-1:2.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Chocoegg Animatales figures, some assembly is required. This figure was released with at least two different paint jobs, today's which represents a wild type animal, and at least one domestic variant.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indonesia (Java, Bali, Bawean); naturalized in other areas including India, Philippines, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Christmas Island, Hawaii
Habitat: Grasslands, meadows, agricultural fields (especially rice), urban and suburban areas
Diet: Grains, seeds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Padda oryzivora is becoming increasingly endangered in its native habitats due to habitat destruction. In some areas it is considered a pest of rice fields and is hunted and trapped, which has also contributed to a decline in its population in endemic areas.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dorcus titanus palawanicus Lacloix, 1983
Common name(s): giant stag beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - large series, DX
Year of Production: unknown (c. 2006)
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 10.2 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the most commonly made subspecies of the five subspecies (that I am aware of) of D. titanus available as toys/figures. The bases of the legs and mandibles are slightly articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Philippines (Palawan)
Habitat: Lowland and montane tropical and subtropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: At nearly 11 centimeters for a maximum-sized specimen, D. t. palawanicus is the largest of the 20+ subspecies of Dorcus titanus. This is another species that is sometimes placed in the genus Serrognathus.




EDIT: I meant to point out, that with arthropods making up about ~53% of my collection, and insects about 1/3 of my entire collection, this is the first insect in 15 days! Gotta love randomness!   

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Chalicotherium goldfussi Kaup, 1833

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Prehistoric World
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:32 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure is stamped 'Chalicotherium'; the species designation is my own as it's the type species and it is known from Germany, the home of Bullyland. The figure is also stamped '1:24' but assuming I am aligning my ruler with the shoulder correctly (n=8.0 cm), I have the scale as 1:32 based on an animal that stands 2.6 meters at the shoulder.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Upper Miocene of present-day Europe
Habitat: Open woodlands, coastal forests, riparian areas
Diet: Plant material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Chalicotherium goldfussi is believed to have walked on its knuckes to protect the long claws on its forlegs. These claws probably served multiple functions, one of which was likely to grasp branches in order to access fruits and leaves that made up its diet. Interestingly, as Chalicotherium got closer to adulthood, it shed its incisors and canines, leaving only the rear molars. This suggests that younger animals had a more varied plant-based diet, but adults relied on soft vegetation, such as fruits and young leaves.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): nine-banded armadillo

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series: Wild Life America
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Total body length approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:8-1:13
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: For such a familiar animal, examples of this species are not commonly made and when they are, do not last long. I believe today's model by Schleich is the only 'standard-sized' figure by one of the big Western (non-Japanese) companies in the modern era. In preparing today's post, I noticed this Schleich version scales well with the Eikoh six-banded armadillo, which was seen back in the Museum during its early days on December 17, 2020.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeastern and south-central United States south to northern Argentina and Uruguay
Habitat: Highly variable in regions that are warm and wet, including tropical rainforest, tropical savanna and grassland, scrubland; occasionally suburban and urban areas
Diet: Generalist, opportunistic omnivore; primarily terrestrial invertebrates, but occasionally also amphibians, small reptiles, eggs, carrion, fungi, fruit, tubers, seeds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Dasypus novemcinctus can serve as a reservoir for Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, and has been implicated in zoonotic infections to humans.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Casuarius casuarius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): southern cassowary; double-wattled cassowary

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Height (excluding base) approximately 9.0 cm for a scale of 1:17-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: There are two great standard figures of C. casuarius, this one and the version by Safari Ltd. The Safari figure offers a fine alternative for those who don't like permanent bases on their figures! Today's cassowary scales well with the Southlands Replicas emu.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: New Guinea, northeastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula), Indonesia (Ceram and Aru Islands)
Habitat: Lowland rainforest, Eucalyptus forest, tropical savanna, palm scrub, forested swamps, mangroves
Diet: Primarily fallen fruit; also insects, small vertebrates, fungi
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Casuarius casuarius is a solitary animal and only pairs during the breeding season. The male builds the nest, and after oviposition, the male incubates the eggs and raises the chicks alone.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): northern cardinal

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Backyard Birds TOOB
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate because of pose, but body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of approximately 1:3-1:3.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. also produced a northern cardinal for the 2016 Nature TOOB. From what I can tell, it's the same sculpt, but the Backyard Birds TOOB version looks a little more refined. Safari would also produce a larger version of the species for the Incredible Creatures line and a mini one for the Good Luck Minis line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern and southwestern North America and Mexico; naturalized in California, Hawaii, and Bermuda
Habitat: Mixed and deciduous woodlands and their margins, shrubland, wetlands, urban and suburban parks, gardens, and yards; common bird at feeders in eastern USA
Diet: Primarily seeds, grains, fruit; occasionally terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Cardinalis cardinalis exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. Males (as shown here today) are crimson red with a black face mask; the species epithet comes from the similarity in color to the red robes of cardinals of the Roman Catholic church. Females are more somber, being fawn-colored with red tints on the crest, wings, and tail and a paler mask. Cardinalis cardinalis is serially monogamous, but polygyny occurs sometimes. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs, while the male brings the nesting female food. After hatching, both sexes provide invertebrate prey to the chicks. Fledging occurs after 25-56 days.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cyrtarachne yunoharuensis Strand, 1918

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Kumocolle! Japanese Spider Collection
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length 1.8 cm for a scale of 3.6:1-2.5:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a pair)
Miscellaneous Notes: These two figures represent the same sculpt but with different colors. Cyrtarachne yunoharuensis is sexually dimorphic with regards to both size and color; based on the color, these figures both represent females and the scale above is calculated based on female specimens.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia (China, Japan, Korean Peninsula)
Habitat: Montane forests, fields, pastures; webs are constructed in trees, bushes, and shrubs
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Although C. yunoharuensis belongs to the same family as the orb-weavers, it does not construct a traditional orb-shaped web. Members of the genus Cyrtarachne construct 'spanning-thread' webs, which are believed to be somewhat of a link between traditional orb webs used by many of the Araneidae and those of the bolas spiders. These webs have a small number of radii and instead of a tight spiral of sticky threads, and the sticky spanning threads are widely spaced and do not form a spiral. When prey, which are usually flying insects such as moths, are caught on one of the spanning threads, one end comes loose, and the prey dangles from the other end until hauled in by the spider.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Psephotellus chrysopterygius Gould, 1858
Common name(s): golden-shouldered parrot; alwal

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 2
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.3-1:4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Australian Yowies, assembly is required. Cadbury also made a solid-piece version of this species for the UK Yowies line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia (Cape York Peninsula)
Habitat: Tropical savanna
Diet: Grass seeds, especially those of cockatoo grass (Alloteropsis), fire grass (Schizachyrium), and glimmer grass (Planichloa)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Psephotellus chrysopterygius breeds in nests dug into termite mounds. A clutch size is between 3-6 eggs and they are incubated for about 20 days. Because termites use a natural form of 'air conditioning' to regulate the temperature in the mound, the birds can leave their eggs at times.