Mathison Museum of Natural History

[Gwangi]

Yeah I went back and looked. Amazing what one can forget in just three years lol 

It's been a long three years, to be fair.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Bombus fervidus (Fabricius, 1798)
Common name(s): great northern bumble bee; yellow bumble bee

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Bees, Wasps, and Hornets
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Body length 4.5 cm for a scale of 4.3:1-4:1 for a worker bee
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike most bumble bee toys and figures, this one was marketed at the species level. The only other bumble bee I can think of that was marketed at the species level is the rusty patched bumble bee (B. affinis) produced by Yowie Group in 2021 for the Animals with Super Powers collection.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern North America
Habitat: Grasslands, meadows, agricultural fields, suburban areas
Diet: Larvae are feed honey provisioned by adults; adults feed on nectar and pollen on a very wide variety of flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Bombus fervidus is considered commercially beneficial as it pollinates many important crop plants. The bumble bee has seen a decline in numbers across much of native range, probably due to a loss of grassland and other tallgrass habitats in favor of agriculture.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Papilio machaon Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): Old World swallowtail; common yellow swallowtail

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Insect Lore
Series: Big Bunch-O Butterflies
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.2 cm for a scale of 1:1.1-1:1.3 (slightly under 1:1 for a very small specimen).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fourth time we've seen P. machaon in the Museum. Figures in the Big Bunch-O Butterflies collection are reissues of sculpts (and in a couple cases paint jobs) of those used by K&M International for their Butterflies Nature Tube and Mini Butterflies Polybag collections. None are marketed at the species level, but several (including today's) appear to be painted after actual species. The identifications are all my own or suggested by other forum members.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Holarctic; widespread in boreal and temperate Eurasia and western North America
Habitat: Highly varied, including forests, grasslands, hilltops, Alpine meadows, tundra, wetlands, disturbed areas, parks and gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on primarily on plants in the families Apiaceae (umbillifers), but also Asteraceae (composites) and Rutaceae (rues); adults take nectar from flowers.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern [Europe]
Miscellaneous Notes: Papilio machaon has one of the widest distributions among butterflies. In the Old World, it occurs throughout much of the Palearctic from Europe to Russia, China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. It is widespread throughout much of Europe, although in the United Kingdom it is limited to a few areas in the East Anglia area. In Central Asia and the Middle East it occurs as far south as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and in the mountains of Yemen, Lebanon, Iran, and Israel. It occurs in the Himalayan region of Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, and northern Myanmar. In North America, it occurs primarily in the West, from Alaska south to California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and east to the Great Plains.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Prosopocoilus zebra (Olivier, 1789)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Stag Beetles Vol. 1
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) approximately 12.5 cm for a scale of 2.3:1 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. zebra in the Museum. Today's figure is large, requires assembly, and is articulated. Being one of the earliest Diversity figures, Bandai did not put as much effort into the sculpt, and all of the elements of this figure (except the mandibles) are taken from the P. dissimilis model in the same set, which means the shape of the head and pronotum are technically not correct for this species. It still works alright for P. zebra, but those errors were much more noticeable in the P. giraffa model in the same set (which is the reason I ended up not getting it). The articulations and attachments are also not as smooth as later figures in the line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae live in rotting hardwoods; adults attracted to sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: From what I can tell, there are four subspecies of P. zebra. The nominate subspecies P. z. zebra is widely distributed in peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, and the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Palawan, and Siberut. Prosopocoilus z. ledae is endemic to the Philippine islands of Samar, Panay, and Mindanao, while P. z. luzonensis is endemic to the Philippine island of Luzon. Prosopocoilus z. nobuyukii is endemic to Java.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Scylla serrata (Forsskål, 1775)
Common name(s): giant mud crab; Indo-Pacific swamp crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Aquatales Polyresin Series 1
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Total figure width 9.0 cm. Carapace width approximately 4.3 cm for a scale of 1:3.5-1:6.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen S. serrata in the Museum. As the name suggests, figures in this series are resin rather than the usual PVC. If I remember correctly, the Polyresin Series folded after Series 1 and other planned figures were never released.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific; naturalized in Hawaii and Florida
Habitat: Estuaries, mangroves; benthic, at depths of 0-50 meters
Diet: Benthic invertebrates, carrion, plant material, detritus; cannibalism common
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Scylla serrata is highly cannibalistic, and when molting, hard-shelled crabs will attack and devour freshly-molted crabs that are still soft. Luckily, the species has a fecundity and a female can lay over a million eggs in a lifetime.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)
Common name(s): white-tailed deer; Virginia deer

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 5.8 cm. Scale would vary greatly depending on region and subspecies, but the overall scale for the species would come to approximately 1:9.1-1:20.7.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Odocoileus virginianus is one of the most commonly-made species of deer, and all of the 'major' Western companies have produced them, and more than once. Some releases by Safari Ltd., Papo, Mojö Fun, and an earlier release by CollectA, include bucks, does, and fawns. This 2018 model by CollectA, however, does not. There are several other nice standard-sized options available, and comparing just the bucks, include those by Safari Ltd. (2012), Papo (2016), and Schleich (2014).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Much of northern and eastern North America, south and west to southern Arizona, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America; introduced to several other parts of the world, including the Caribbean, New Zealand, and East and Central Europe.
Habitat: Highly variable, including deciduous woodlands, swamps, thornscrub, deserts, agricultural land, and suburban parks, cemeteries, and yards
Diet: Vegetation; diet varies based on habitat and may include woody shoots, stems, leaves, forbs, grasses, yucca, and cacti
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Odocoileus virginianus plays an interesting indirect role in the epidemiology of Lyme disease in North America. Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi and B. mayonii. The bacteria are transmitted by ticks in the genus Ixodes, particularly I. scapularis. Larvae and nymphs of the ticks feed on small animals, such as mice (especially the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus). The ticks and mice maintain the bacterium. Adult ticks feed on larger animals, favoring white-tailed deer. The deer is important for maintaining the tick's life cycle, but not the bacteria itself.

[Gwangi]

I don't have a white-tailed deer yet but was leaning towards Safari's. This one is nice too though, I may have to reconsider.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Euproops danae (Meek & Worthen, 1865)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Paleocasts
Series: unknown (see below)
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length 4.0 cm for a scale of 1.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: Paleocasts is a line of prehistoric animals, mainly invertebrates, produced by artist Patrick May and sold on Etsy in the U.S. (although at the time of this writing, I am not sure if he is still active). The figures can usually be purchased finished or unfinished. If I remember correctly, this small horseshoe crab was an accessory to a Tullimonstrum figure (along with Paleolimulus), but was sold to me individually. Both horseshoe crabs came in light (as seen today) and dark finishes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Carboniferous of present-day North America
Habitat: Coal forest wetlands and swamps; freshwater to brackish, benthic
Diet: Presumably predaceous on benthic aquatic invertebrates, possibly terrestrial invertebrates as well (see below)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The presence of fossils of E. danae among the fossils of strictly terrestrial plants and animals suggests that the horseshoe crab may have ventured onto land, more so than seen with extant marine species, probably crawling among moist litter on the forest floor, on low vegetation in the undergrowth, or on floating mats of debris.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): Jacob sheep

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Farm Time
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:9.7-1:14.3 (see below)
Frequency of breed in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: To my knowledge this figure is unique for its breed; I cannot find any other Jacob sheep on the Toy Animal Wiki. I had difficulty calculating scale, as Jacob sheep tend to be measured by weight rather than height. The scale above is based on a range of 53-78 cm, which is the general range I found for multi-horned sheep breeds.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Origin of breed unknown, but believed to be what is now Syria (see below); today it is bred primarily in North America and Europe
Habitat: Pastures, fields, meadows
Diet: Grasses, legumes, forbs, and other low-growing roughage
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated
Miscellaneous Notes: The precise origins of the Jacob are unknown. While they have been popular in England for many centuries, documentation suggests they may have originated in what is now Syria approximately 3,000 years ago. Pictorial evidence traces the movement of the sheep through North Africa, Sicily, Spain, and eventually to the British Isles. Legend has it that the sheep were first introduced to Ireland in 1588 on a wrecked ship of the Spanish Armada. The Jacob was introduced to North America in the mid-1900s. Today, the Jacob is bred primarily for its wool and skin. Jacob sheep are unique in having four, or even in come cases, six horns, although some individuals may only have two. Both sexes have horns, but rams generally have larger horns than ewes.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cynomys parvidens Allen, 1905
Common name(s): Utah prairie dog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: All Americas Series
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Figure stands approximately 5.5 cm tall. Scale difficult to calculate, but using hind foot as a metric (n=1.1 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:5-1:6. Attempts at using body length as a metric come to similar numbers.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was first released in Australia in a collection known as Ranger Series, which focused on animals from the Americas and surrounding waters. The collection was later released in the United States under the name All Americas Series. I am not sure, however, if the two releases were both in 2016 or if the Australian release was in the previous year.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: USA; endemic to southwest Utah in the Awapa Plateau, East Fork, and the main stem of the Sevier River to eastern Iron County
Habitat: Swale land with well-drained soil and abundant herbaceous plants
Diet: Flowers, seeds, grasses, forbs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Cynomys parvidens has very specific habitat requirements. The burrows must have an adequate drain ability and must be deep enough to provide shelter from predators and insulation during the winter. The burrows must be one meter deep, but without hitting groundwater. They also favor habitats with soil that matches their fur color for camouflage and adequate vegetation for food, but the vegetation needs to be low enough so the prairie dogs to scan for predators. The range of C. parvidens is restricted by climatic, physical, and biological barriers. To the west, the climate is warmer and drier, and tall grass restricts views of their surroundings. Mountains and deserts to the east, west, and south are too harsh, have inadequate soil, and may be impassable.

[Gwangi]

That's a weird looking prairie dog. I'm unsettled by its human-like ears.

[bmathison1972]

That's a weird looking prairie dog. I'm unsettled by its human-like ears.

Huh...funny, I never noticed. I think part of it is their tiny size. Also, the ear on the other side is more normal. But looking again at pics online, it's really not that dissimilar to the actual animal. Their ears are essentially small, lobed holes: https://www.natureinstock.com/search/preview/utah-prairie-dog-cynomys-parvidens-feeding-on-vegetation-bryce-canyon/0_00093530.html. They might be accentuated here, as Yowies are typically somewhat stylized, but I don't think they were intended to mimic human ears.

[Gwangi]

No, I don't think the resemblance to human ears was intentional. They did the best they could with what they had to work with, just not sure about the end result.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): blue swimmer crab; flower crab; blue crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Enoshima Aquarium
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base 3.5 cm in diameter. Carapace width 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:4.8-1:6.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. pelagicus in the Museum. The crab is removable from its base. I cannot remember how much, if any, assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, estuaries; usually in the intertidal zone at depths of 0-65 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, fish, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Portunus pelagicus usually spends the day buried in the sand or mud. At night, they come out to feed on bivalves, fish, and algae. They are very good swimmers and cannot survive long periods of time out of water.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dorcus grandis Didier, 1926

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - standard series, small
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 4.4 cm for a scale of 1:1.9 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen D. grandis 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: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Tropical broadleaf forest
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are three subspecies of D. grandis: the nominate D. g. grandis (Laos, Vietnam, China), D. g. formosanus (Taiwan), and D. g. moriyai (Myanmar, India). Dorcus grandis and its subspecies are sometimes considered subspecies of D. hopei.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): blue swimmer crab; flower crab; blue crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 1; Yowies UK Series 1
Year of Production: 1997
Size/Scale: Carapace width of Australian Yowie approximately 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.6-1:5. Carapace width of UK Yowie approximately 3.2 cm for a scale of 1:4.5-1:5.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen P. pelagicus in the Museum, and the second time in less than a week! The figure on the left was produced by Cadbury for the Australian Yowes collection in 1997; assembly is required and the base of the claw arms are articulated. The figure on the right was produced by Cadbury for the UK Yowies collection, also in 1997; it is a solid piece of PVC.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, estuaries; usually in the intertidal zone at depths of 0-65 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, fish, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Portunus pelagicus is a common commercial species throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where it is sold for both traditional hard shells or soft-shelled crabs, the latter of which are considered a delicacy throughout Asia.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Douvilleiceras sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 4
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Shell diameter approximately 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.5-1:5.8 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required. The scale above is based on an average range for D. mammillatum.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle-Late Cretaceous (Barremian-Cenomanian); probably worldwide in most seas and oceans at the time
Habitat: Marine, pelagic to benthopelagic
Diet: Presumably predaceous on other invertebrates and small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Douvilleiceras was one of the most widespread genera of ammonites. At least 12 species have been described and their fossils have been found throughout the Americas and parts of the Caribbean (Dominican Republic), Africa (including Madagascar), Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and Japan.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell, 1837)
Common name(s): whitetip reef shark

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 12.0 cm for a scale of 1:13.3-1:17.75
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: I am unsure of any other standard-sized toys or figures of this species. The only other figure I am aware of is a bottlecap figure by Kaiyodo for their Capsule Aquarium line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Widespread in coastal tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans
Habitat: Coral reefs; at depths of 0-330 meters (usually 8-40 meters)
Diet: Benthic marine invertebrates, bony fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Triaenodon obesus is rather docile during the day, but can become very aggressive at night when searching for food. It will sometimes work with small groups of other sharks, but usually hunts alone. With its slender body, T. obesus is capable of wriggling into narrow crevices and holes in reefs, giving it access to prey that would otherwise be inaccessible to other sharks. Common prey include crabs, spiny lobsters, octopi, and several species of bony fish, including damselfish (Pomacentridae), parrotfish (Scaridae), surgeonfish (Acanthuridae), goatfish (Mullidae), triggerfish (Balistidae), squirrelfish (Holocentridae), and eels (Anguilliformes).

[Gwangi]

How about that! There's been a few instances where your posts have about lined up with blog reviews.

[bmathison1972]

How about that! There's been a few instances where your posts have about lined up with blog reviews.

Yeah I was thinking the exact same thing! And on at least one other occasion, it was one of your other shark reviews!