Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Copris ochus (Motschulsky, 1860)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Beetles Vol. 5
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 2.4:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other Diversity of Life on Earth Figures, assembly is required and the final product is large (although not as large as other DoLoE beetles), but it isn't articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Russia (Primorskii), East and South China, Korean Peninsula, Japan
Habitat: Mixed broadleaf-coniferous forests, open woodlands, meadows and fields
Diet: Larvae and adults feed on dung, with a preference for horse and cattle dung
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Copris ochus belongs to a group of dung beetles called 'tunnelers'. As opposed to dung beetles like Scarabaeus, which roll away pieces of dung some distance from where the dung was deposited, Copris species build tunnels in the soil directly under the dung pat where they construct brood balls from the dung.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Prosopocoilus confucius (Hope, 1842)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Insect Hunter Beetle and Stag Beetle
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) approximately 7.3 cm for a scale of 1:1.5 for large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second version of this species produced by F-toys; the first was a larger model in 2009 (which I don't possess). It's possible F-toys has released it again since 2018, since they have a tendency to reissue species and sculpts, but I am not sure as I stopped collecting their figures a few years back unless they represent new species. It has been proposed the Safari Ltd. Smithsonian Insects stag beetle also represents this species, as does the small Innovative Kids Groovy Tube Books figure which was clearly inspired by the Safari model.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and Southeast Asia
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotten hardwoods; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Prosopocoilus confucius is a fairly common species throughout much of its range and is popular with collectors and breeders.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Papilio glaucus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): eastern tiger swallowtail

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan approximately 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.4-1:2.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. glaucus in the Museum. The Toy Major butterflies are somewhat of an enigma. There are 12 sculpts, labeled A-L on the underside as well as the copyright year of 1996. Each sculpt has been painted multiple times, resulting in anywhere from 24-36 figures (maybe more?). Also, the different repaints may have been released over multiple years while retaining the 1996 mark. They were sold in sets of various numbers. They are not marketed at the species level, but most are painted to look like recognizable species (the identifications are mine or by other forum members). Today's figure could easily represent one of several similar Papilio species, but P. glaucus makes the most sense due to its familiarity. Several species produced by Toy Major have been produced by other companies of the same era (Club Earth, early Safari Ltd., etc.), as these companies tend to copy one another, and it is sometimes difficult to determine who came first. Today's is one example where the Toy Major toy figure is not painted like its Club Earth counterpart. Also, based on the blue spots along the margin of the hindwing, today's figure was painted after a female specimen.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, swamps, fields, roadsides, riparian areas, parks, gardens, urban and suburban areas
Diet: Larvae feed on a wide variety of plants; common host plants include Prunus serotina (wild black cherry), Fraxinus (ash), Magnolia virginiana (sweet bay), Persea palustrus (swamp bay), Liriodendron tulipifera (tuliptree). Adults take nectar from flowers.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status is Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Papilio glaucus exhibits some morphological variability. Males are always yellow with black stripes. Light females are yellow with black stripes and blue spots along the margin of the hind wings (as shown here today). Dark form females can be nearly black (although some striping may still be visible on the wings, ventrally if not dorsally). Even in the dark females, the blue spots are present along the margin of the hind wings.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Mammuthus trogontherii (Pohlig, 1885)
Common name(s): steppe mammoth

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Eofauna
Series: 1:35 Scale Dinosaurs
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 11.0 cm for a scale of 1:33.6-1:40.9
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 was produced by Papo in 2000 and retired in 2009. Either represent a nice change of pace to the onslaught of woolly mammoths, that are the 'go-to' prehistoric proboscideans to produce!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early-Middle Pleistocene of northern Eurasia
Habitat: Temperate forests, steppes
Diet: Grazer to grazing-predominant mixed feeder of grasses, trees, shrubs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Mammuthus trogontherii is believed to have originated in East Asia around 1.8 million years ago (mya) and is believed to be descended from the southern mammoth (M. meridionalis). The steppe mammoth is believed to have crossed Beringia around 1.5-1.3 mya, giving rise to the Columbian mammoth (M. columbi). Roughly 0.8 mya, populations of M. trogontherii gave rise to the woolly mammoth(M. primigenius), which eventually replaced M. trogontherii about 200,000 year ago. However, it's possible relict populations occurred in Mongolia and northern China into the Last Glacial Period, as recently as 33,800-24,800 years ago.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Nyctosaurus gracilis Marsh, 1876

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: PNSO
Series: Age of Dinosaurs
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Total figure height 8.5 cm. Using crest height as a metric (n=5.5 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:10
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: PNSO chose to have this figure sculpted with a headsail on the crest (perhaps to avoid breakage), although the current consensus is that the crest lacked a sail and looked more like a two-pronged antler (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Santonian-Campanian) of present-day North America
Habitat: Coastal areas
Diet: Unknown, presumably fish or possibly flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The belief that the crest of Nyctosaurus lacked a sail comes mainly from the absence of soft-tissue attachment points along its edges. It has been suggested that such a sail could hinder aerodynamics, although a 2009 study looking at aerodynamics both with and without a sail demonstrated that was not the case. It has been suggested the purpose of the crest was for display, possibly intraspecies communication, but not for sexual selection as both sexes appeared to have had them.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Spizaetus melanoleucus (Vieillot, 1816)
Common name(s): black-and-white hawk-eagle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Naturalism
Series: Eagles
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 9.3 cm for a scale of 1:5.4-1:6.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Naturalism is a little-known Chinese company that has been producing high-quality animal figures in the last few years, including sets of whales, owls, and now eagles. In 2016 they produced the Naturally Adorkable line featuring mammals of Central Asia and the Himalayas. Naturalism figures are generally not too expensive (when new), but can quickly be hard to find and usually require shipping from China or Japan.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina
Habitat: Lowland tropical and subtropical forests and shrubland, preferably in areas with closed canopy
Diet: Apex predator on other animals, including small and medium-sized birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Spizaetus melanoleucus hunts prey by soaring high, and then diving quickly (often right into the forest canopy) after it finds a suitable target. Individual birds require a hunting territory of at least 1,400 hectares.

[SerAndrew]

Species: Spizaetus melanoleucus (Vieillot, 1816)
Common name(s): black-and-white hawk-eagle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Naturalism
Series: Eagles
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 9.3 cm for a scale of 1:5.4-1:6.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Naturalism is a little-known Chinese company that has been producing high-quality animal figures in the last few years, including sets of whales, owls, and now eagles. In 2016 they produced the Naturally Adorkable line featuring mammals of Central Asia and the Himalayas. Naturalism figures are generally not too expensive (when new), but can quickly be hard to find and usually require shipping from China or Japan.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina
Habitat: Lowland tropical and subtropical forests and shrubland, preferably in areas with closed canopy
Diet: Apex predator on other animals, including small and medium-sized birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Spizaetus melanoleucus hunts prey by soaring high, and then diving quickly (often right into the forest canopy) after it finds a suitable target. Individual birds require a hunting territory of at least 1,400 hectares.

These and the owls are very good. I have all the ones I wanted from those sets but indeed, they are a little bit obscure.

I wonder, do we have a way to be updated on the new releases from this brand?

[bmathison1972]

If I get any notification of new releases, I would put them in a 'New For' thread ASAP. It seems like they just kinda sneak into the market LOL.

This is the only figure from this set I have and I don't have any owls. For the eagles, I am satisfied with the versions I have for the other five species.

[SerAndrew]

If I get any notification of new releases, I would put them in a 'New For' thread ASAP. It seems like they just kinda sneak into the market LOL.

This is the only figure from this set I have and I don't have any owls. For the eagles, I am satisfied with the versions I have for the other five species.

Philippine and harpy eagles are, for me, the best out there by far. I guess your Philippine is the Colorata and the harpy either the Colorata or the Safari, but I really like these much more.
Then this one is so big I needed any other spizaetus to "justify" the purchase, so I got the crested one despite I already had the Colorata one. Got the Steller's because of the pose and because my Kaiyodo one is small, and the received the bald for free and I custimozed as an african fisher eagle that I, humbly, like more than the Papo.

About the owls I only have the grey. I also purchase the long-legged barn owl, but it's too big

[bmathison1972]

yes, my Philippine is Colorata and Harpy is Safari. I don't 'drop and replace' every figure once something slightly better comes along. I take a lot of factors into consideration before I replace a figure and I don't see a personal need for either of those two to be replaced at the moment  .

[Isidro]

My favourite of all raptors. I did one myself (much before this brand announce and release the eagle series), but it resulted twice damaged by insects (and repaired)as the sculpting paste is made of some edible material for them.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pagurus filholi (De Man, 1887)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Primary Colour Crustaceans Book
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Figure 3.5 cm across its widest dimensions. Using shield length as a metric (n=0.5 cm), scale comes to approximately 2.3:1-1:1.3 (within scale 1:1;see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. filholi in the Museum. It was marketed as Pagurus samuelis, but as currently delineated that species is endemic to the Pacific Coast of North America (see below). Minimal assembly is required. When Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. bought the Primary Colour Book line from Yujin and re-released this set, it included a second shell option for this figure (which I don't possess). The scale above is calculated based on the shield length of Pagurus geminus (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Intertidal zone, usually in rocky areas
Diet: Scavengers, especially on algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on this species as presently delineated. Past records of P. samuelis from Japan now refer to P. filholi, as the former is now considered restricted to the West Coast of North America. In 1976, McLaughlin described P. geminus from Japan, which is now placed in synonymy with P. filholi.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Scolopendra gigantea Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): giant Peruvian centipede; Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipede; Amazonian giant centipede

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Wild Republic - Venomous Adventure Nature Tube
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length (exclusive of appendages) approximately 8.7 cm for a scale of 1:3.4 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: It's a rare treat to get a centipede figure marketed at the species level, despite the simplicity of its design.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern South America and adjacent islands (Aruba, Trinidad, Margarita, Curaçao)
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical rainforest, tropical dry forest; usually in dark secluded places such as in leaf litter, under rocks, and in rotten wood
Diet: Other arthropods and small vertebrates (small birds, rodents, bats, lizards, frogs, small snakes)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Scolopendra gigantea, as its scientific name hints at, is the world's longest centipede, with large individuals exceeding 30 cm in length!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Eurytides marcellus (Cramer, 1777)
Common name(s): zebra swallowtail

About the Figure:
Manufacturers: Club Earth; Beam
Series: Caterpillars to Go; Imomushi
Years of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (of both figures) approximately 7.5 cm for a scale of 1.5:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure on the lower right is by Club Earth for their Caterpillars to Go collection. The figure on the upper left is by Beam for their Imomushi collection (I don't know the production year for either). Club Earth caterpillars have been copied and recopied numerous times throughout the years. Interestingly, while the Beam collection was clearly influenced the Club Earth collection (many shared species between them), they are not direct copies as they are all displayed in different positions. Initially in this thread, I would have posted these two separately, but it's fun to compare the two. I've also seen the Beam figures released under different names, sometimes with a leaf accompanying each larva.
I had trouble finding metrics to calculate the scale, and so the above scale is based on a body length of 5.0 cm, which is about average for most papilionid larvae.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America
Habitat: Moist woodlands, often around rivers, lakes, and marshes
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genera Asimina (pawpaw) and Annona (soursoap); adults take nectar from a variety of flowers.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated [NatureServe status is listed as Secure]
Miscellaneous Notes: Female E. marcellus deposit their eggs singly on the leaves or trunks of host plants, as the larvae are cannibalistic after they hatch!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Common name(s): blacktip reef shark

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toymany
Series: 8PCS Shark Toys
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 13.7 cm for an average scale of 1:6.6-1:8.8 or 1:14.6 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen Carcharhinus melanopterus in the Museum; the last time was a figure by Safari Ltd. that today's version by Toymany has since replaced. I was hesitant to replace a Safari shark, because even when their version isn't the 'best' or most accurate, I really like their style. But, after comparing both in-hand, I decided to keep this Toymany fish. This is the first time in this thread we've seen a figure come up that was an outright replacement for something that has already been showcased. There will be others.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Reef-associated, usually at depths of 20-75 meters
Diet: Fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Carcharhinus melanopterus has been known to bite people wading or diving in shallow water, but generally they are not considered an aggressive shark. None of the documented attacks to date have been fatal. Often, the shark is drawn to people because of fish they are catching, rather than the person themselves.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Acanthophis pyrrhus Boulenger, 1898
Common name(s): desert death adder

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Venomous Snakes
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Maximum width of figure approximately 4.8 cm. Body challenging to measure due to coiled state, but measured along midline, body length approximately 17.0 cm for a scale of 1:4.1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in this set come with a black base with the Latin and Japanese names and degree of toxicity in a 1-5 scale using skulls-and-crossbones (see inset).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and Western Australia
Habitat: Deserts, grasslands, stony flats, sandy ridges, rocky outcrops
Diet: Lizards, small mammals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Acanthophis pyrrhus is a specialist predator on lizards, but also small mammals. It lures potential prey by lying in ambush and wiggling the tip of its tail, which looks like a worm or caterpillar to passing lizard.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Apalopteron familiare (Kittlitz, 1830)
Common name(s): Bonin white-eye

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Natural Monuments of Japan
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.7-1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Some assembly is required (the legs of the bird are permanently affixed to the fruit base). Kaiyodo also produced this species for the Chocoegg Animatales line and Kitan Club produced it for their Osagawara collection in the Nature Techni Colour line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan (Bonin Islands)
Habitat: Lowland evergreen and broadleaf forests, forest edges, plantations, gardens; breeding usually occurs in undisturbed forest with bamboo, large trees and shrubs, and tree ferns
Diet: Fruit, seeds, flowers, nectar, insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many white-eyes, Apalopteron familiare has a restricted distribution on certain Pacific Islands. The bird was once found on all major groups of islands in the Bonin chain, including the Mukojima Group, the Chichijima Group, and the Hahajima, but is currently restricted to Hahajima Island and two nearby islands. It's disappearance from several islands is due to habitat destruction and predation by introduced cats and rats and possibly competition with introduced warbling white-eyes. Apalopteron is a monotypic genus containing only the Bonin white-eye. Molecular analysis in 2019 showed that Apalopteron is nested within the white-eye genus Heleia, but avian nomenclatural authorities do not recognize this combination as of yet.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Mantis religiosa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): praying mantis; European mantis

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Hidden Kingdom Insects
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 11.5 cm for a scale of 2.3:1-1.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen M. religiosa in the Museum. Wires in the prothorax and front legs allow the figure to be oriented into slightly different postures. This figure was a follow-up to the Smithsonian Insects praying mantis produced in 1995, which was larger and not bendable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern Europe, Asia, North Africa; introduced to Australia and North America
Habitat: Forests, grasslands, agricultural fields, disturbed areas, parks, gardens; usually in areas with shrubby vegetation
Diet: Insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Mantis religiosa is an ambush predator and will pounce on any potential passing prey, within a manageable size, using its raptorial front legs. Cannibalism is common.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): monarch; milkweed butterfly

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies UK Series 1; Yowies Series 5
Years of Production: 1997; 2000
Size/Scale: Wingspan of both figures approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.4-1:1.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the ninth time we have seen D. plexippus in the Museum. The figure on the right was produced by Cadbury for the first UK Yowies series in 1997; it is a solid piece of plastic. The figure on the left was produced by Cadbury for the fifth Australian Yowies series in 2000; assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, the Azores, Canary Islands, North Africa, Australia, Philippines, and South Pacific islands; rare stray to the United Kingdom
Habitat: Fields, forests, parks, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae feed on milkweeds in the family Apocynaceae, especially members of the genus Asclepias; adults take nectar from a variety of flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Populations of D. plexippus in Australia are believed to be descended from butterflies that arrived from Hawaii in the late 1800s; it was first reported breeding in Australia in 1871. Populations in Hawaii are believed to have arrived there in 1845 from mainland North or Central America.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Austruca lactea (De Haan, 1835)
Common name(s): milky fiddler crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Aquatic Museum
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Carapace width 2.5 cm for a scale of 2.7:1-1.3:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: There are six figures in the Aquatic Museum collection, each representing a different species of Japanese crab. Each comes with a flat habitat-style base (see inset); the six bases connect to form a larger base incorporating different habitats for each of the species in the set (see here. The only other figure of this species I am aware of was produced by Epoch for their Earth Life Journey Crabs and Shrimp collections.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific
Habitat: Upper intertidal mudflats
Diet: Organic matter in sediment, carrion (including conspecifics)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: A 2016 study looking at nuclear 28S rDNA, the mitochondrial 16S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox I) resulted in dividing the species-rich genus Uca (104 species) into 11 genera that fall within two subfamilies. In this new classification, Austruca appears basal within Gelasiminae, which also contains the genera Paraleptuca, Cranuca, Gelasimus, Xeruca, Minuca, Leptuca, Petruca, and Tubuca. Uca sens. str. and Afruca are in the subfamily Ocypodinae along with the ghost crabs (Ocypode).