Mathison Museum of Natural History

[Gwangi]

I have the CollectA Liopleurodon but I've always liked Safari's more. They're so similar (thanks to the paintjob) that I never bothered replacing the one I have. My favorite Liopleurodon is actually the Invicta one, which I have the painted version of. Need to track down the monochrome one.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Nymphicus hollandicus (Kerr, 1792)
Common name(s): cockatiel; weero; weiro; quarrion

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Bird Garden
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:4-1:4.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: I cannot remember off-hand but some assembly may have been required. This set also included a cockatiel in the domestic Lutino color morph. Kaiyodo also released three cockatiels in the 2002 Choco Q Pet Series but they appear to be different sculpts than the Capsule Q figures.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia
Habitat: Open woodland, savanna, grasslands, agricultural fields, semi-arid and arid regions; usually around water holes and other reliable sources of water
Diet: Seeds, especially of Acacia, but also domestic crops of wheat, sorghum, sunflower
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Nymphicus hollandicus is a very social bird. Bonds between individuals form very early and birds tend to flock in groups of several to several thousand individuals. They usually do not stray too far from a reliable source of water. Larger groups may venture greater distances from nesting sites to forage for food, however. Nesting occurs in large tree holes, with Eucalyptus being the preferred host tree. Cockatiels have a strong parental drive and both sexes share parenting responsibilities. Both birds incubate eggs, with males typically incubating from early morning to late afternoon and females throughout the night. Both parents also feed the chicks via allofeeding, whereby food is passed directly between birds.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Aipysurus apraefrontalis Smith, 1926
Common name(s): short-nosed sea snake; Sahul reef snake

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: Wild Water Series
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure 5.5 cm across its widest points. Measured along midline, body length approx. 22.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.7.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: It is generally assumed this figure is unique for its species. Play Visions' 'Kakadu sea snake' is often thought to represent this species, although more likely that figure was modeled after the file snake (Acrochordus arafurae).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia; endemic to the Ashmore and Cartier Islands off Western Australia
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths of 0 to greater than 10 meters deep
Diet: Small fish, especially gobies
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Data Deficient
Miscellaneous Notes: Aipysurus apraefrontalis was historically believed to be endemic to reefs around the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, where it hadn't been seen since 1998. In 2010, the IUCN assessed the snake as Critically Endangered. In 2015, specimens were found in coastal Western Australia in Exmouth Gulf, Roebourne, and Broome, as well as the Arafura Sea and in 2018 the IUCN reassessed the snake as Data Deficient. Studies in 2021suggest that the coastal population may represent a new, undescribed species, which means true A. apraefrontalis may truly be endemic to the Ashmore and Cartier reefs and could be functionally extinct. However, also in 2021 ROVs with cameras recorded a live specimen of A. apraefrontalis in the mesophotic zone of the Ashmore Reef, suggesting the species is still extant. However, until specimens are collected and compared by morphologic and molecular analyses, there is no way to know if the current sea snakes in the Ashmore Reef are true A. apraefrontalis or members of the coastal population that have migrated to the reef.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Enypniastes eximia Théel, 1882
Common name(s): pink swimming sea cucumber; Spanish dancer; headless chicken monster

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Deep Sea Animals MIU Series 2
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.7-1:8.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The sea cucumber is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in most seas and oceans
Habitat: Benthic; at depths of 370-5,700 meters
Diet: Organic material in benthic sediment
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: While normally staying close to the ocean floor, E. eximia can propel itself upwards of 1,000 meters into the water column, possibly to find new feeding grounds or to avoid predators. It lifts itself up and propels itself with the use of its anterior veil and the posterior pair of webbed swimming fins.

[bmathison1972]

Holy cow! I just realized today was the 4 year anniversary of this thread!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hypsibius dujardini (Doyère, 1840)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: The Minimum Coexistence: Microbe
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 4.0 cm for a scale of 800:1-24:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure loosely sits on a round, flat base with it's Japanese and Latin names and size (see inset). The scale above is calculated based on the range on the figure's base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Cosmopolitan
Habitat: Sediment of freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams
Diet: Phytoplankton
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Hypsibius dujardini, as commonly known, is probably a species complex rather than a single cosmopolitan species. Like other tardigrades, H. dujardini can respond to environmental stressors through cryptobiosus, a stress response whereby an individual halts development and metabolism. In this tardigrade, it is specifically driven by anhydrobiosis, a form of cryptobiosis that is induced by desiccation. The tardigrade will come out of its desiccated state after being exposed to water again.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Shinkaia crosnieri Baba & Williams, 1998
Common name(s): hydrothermal vent squat lobster

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Deep Sea Creatures
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Base approx. 4.0 cm across its widest points. Carapace length approx. 2.0 cm, with scale 1:1 for a small specimen or up to 1:2.6 for a very large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The squat lobster is removable from its base. I had a challenging time photographing this figure and getting the colors and lighting right, especially since the lights in my apartment have a yellowish cast. I ended up turning off all the lights and only having a little ambient light from outdoors! I have to remember this technique for future pale critters of the abyss!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Habitat: Benthic; at depths of 1,200-1,760 meters
Diet: Nutrients derived from epibiotic bacteria living on the crustacean's setae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Invertebrates that live among deep-sea hydrothermal vents have associations with epibiotic bacteria. The bacteria are able to oxidize sulfur from the vents and their chemolithoautotrophic and methanotrophic products provide nutrients for the host animal. The bacteria that have been associated with S. crosnieri include members of the genera Epsilonproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. Shinkaia crosnieri has been observed frequently combing its setae, and it is now understood that in doing so they are ingesting the bacteria in the process and acquiring the byproducts of sulfur oxidation.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Melanosuchus niger (Spix, 1825)
Common name(s): black caiman

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toymany
Series: 12PCS Reptile Figurine Set
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 19.3 cm for a scale of 1:11.4-1:25.9
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The lower jaw is articulated. The proportions are those of an adult, although the color of the lower jaw and tail are more like that of a juvenile. However, M. niger tends to retain juvenile coloring into adulthood, more commonly than other caimans. The scale above is calculated based on a range of 2.2-5 meters.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America; Amazon Basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru
Habitat: Slow-moving rivers, lakes, wetlands, blackwater swamps, and seasonally flooded areas of the Amazon River
Diet: Young primarily eat small fish, frogs, mollusks, crustaceans; adults primarily eat larger fish and mollusks, but are general apex predators on many animals, including snakes, turtles, birds, mammals, and other smaller species of caimans.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Melanosuchus niger is the largest member of the family Alligatoridae and the largest predator in the Amazon Basin. Most adults are 2.2-4.3 meters in length, but some older males may exceed 5.0 meters. There are widely reported, but unconfirmed and possibly  anecdotal, records of males growing over 6.1 meters in length and weighing up to 1,100 kilograms.

[JimoAi]

the propertion does resemble a juvenile especially with how big the head is and how short the tail is

[bmathison1972]

Species: Calappa lophos (Herbst, 1782)
Common name(s): red-streaked box crab; common box crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Seaside Creatures Vol. 2
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Carapace width approx. 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:2.9
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen C. lophos in the Museum. The claws (chelae) are fused together.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs; in sandy or muddy areas at depths of 10-100 meters
Diet: Hard-shelled mollusks, hermit crabs residing in gastropod shells
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Members of the genus Calappa are commonly called 'shame-faced' crabs because the way they hold their large chelae, it looks as though they are covering their faces in shame.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Isoptera, gen. sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Funrise Toys
Series: World of Nature Insect Collection
Year of Production: 1989
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approx. 4.0 cm for a scale of 1.6:1 for the maximum size of a king termite (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare [as a group]
Miscellaneous Notes: Funrise Toys only marketed this figure as a 'king termite'. A species-level identification would be an exercise in futility. With my current collecting practices, I normally wouldn't retain generic insects like this, but termite figures are so rare in our hobby. The information below is for termites generally.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide
Habitat: Highly variable depending on dietary requirements, including subterranean burrows, dead trees and stumps, canopies of living trees, and manmade wooden structures, including wood used for fencing and housing
Diet: General detritivore, including living and dead plants, lumber and wood, animal feces
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A
Miscellaneous Notes: Termites have been historically placed in the order Isoptera, which was allied with Mantodea (mantids) and Blattodea (cockroaches). They were especially considered close to wood-eating cockroaches in the genus Cryptocercus based on morphologic similarities, habitat and diet, and sharing symbiotic gut flagellates. Molecular analyses starting in the early 2000s showed that termites are nestled within Blattodea and they are essentially highly specialized eusocial cockroaches! Blattodea (including the infraorder Isoptera) and Mantodea are sometimes combined into a single taxon, Dictyoptera, which is given either superordinal or ordinal rank.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Turbo sazae Fukuda, 2017
Common name(s): turban snail; sazae; Korean top shell

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toys Spirits
Series: Shellfish with a Lid Mascot Vol. 1
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Shell height approx. 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.4-1:2.8 [see below]
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare [probably unique as a sculpt, see below]
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in this set represent commercial edible shellfish. The fleshy parts and operculum are included and can be removed from the shell (see inset). They were also sold as strap figures. There have been at least two other collections in this series, and I know T. sazae was featured in at least the 2022 set, although the paint job is different than mine shown here. I had trouble finding consistent measurements to calculate scale; the scale above is based on a shell height of 7-20 cm.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, South Korea
Habitat: Rocky subtidal habitats
Diet: Algae, kelp
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Turbo sazae has been a delicacy in Japan for many years, but known under the names T. cornutus or T. japonicus. True T. cornutus is known only from the Mascarene Basin, the Philippines, Jeju Island (South Korea), and China. The name T. japonicus was historically used for two populations, one around Mauritius and Réunion in the Indian Ocean and one in Japan and South Korea in the West Pacific Ocean. Those two populations are considered distinct species, and the Mauritius/Réunion population has priority for the name T. japonicus, so in 2017 the Japanese/Korean population was renamed T. sazae.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Polistes carnifex (Fabricius, 1775)
Common name(s): executioner wasp

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Curatorial LLC
Series: Brave Wilderness
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approx. 5.3 cm for a scale of 2.2:1-1.6:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was produced in conjunction with a YouTube nature series called Brave Wilderness. Upon learning about this figure, I have discovered a number of other arthropod figures produced for the series I would love to hunt down (at the time of this writing, this executioner wasp is still available on Amazon)!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern USA (extreme southern Arizona and Texas) to Brazil
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical evergreen forests, open mixed woodlands, coastal forests; nests are usually constructed in trees or on the sides of buildings
Diet: Larvae feed on nectar and macerated insects prey provided by adult wasps; adults feed on nectar
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Polistes carnifex is notorious for its sting, which ranks 4 (highest possible) on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. However, like most of these large, formidable wasps, it is not an aggressive species and likely only to sting if provoked.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Gerris latiabdominalis Miyamoto, 1958
Common name(s): lesser water strider

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Water Striders
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Base 3.5 cm long. Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 1.1 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was marketed as Gerris lacustris latiabdominalis, although its elevation to full species based on molecular studies occurred two years earlier in 2008. This set came with five species of water striders (and three 'mini' Japanese tree frogs). When a surfactant is applied to a small hole in the clear plastic behind the insect, the decrease in surface tension causes the figure to propel forward, as if the bug was actually moving across the surface of the water!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, Japan
Habitat: Ponds, irrigation ditches, canals, rice paddies
Diet: Insects that fall on the water surface or emerge from the water; rarely carrion, frog eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other water striders, G. latiabdominalis is primarily a scavenger of insects that fall on the surface of the water or aquatic insects (e.g. nematoceran flies and mayflies) that emerge from the water. Other sources of nutrition, such as scavenging on dead vertebrates in the water, is considered a very rare event. In 2020, G. latiabdominalis was observed feeding on frog eggs floating on the water surface, the first time this behavior was documented in water striders.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Papilio xuthus Linnaeus, 1767
Common name(s): Asian swallowtail; Chinese yellow swallowtail

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kabaya
Series: World Insect Series 1
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 6.8 cm for a scale of 1:1.3-1:1.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the sixth time we've seen P. xuthus in the Museum. The butterfly is painted realistically dorsally and ventrally. It is removable from its base but it leaves to very long black pegs on the underside, so the butterfly can never lay completely flat.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, Japan; introduced to Hawaii
Habitat: Forests, gardens, parks, citrus orchards
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the family Rutaceae, including cultivated Citrus; adults are attracted to flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Papilio xuthus participates in seasonal migrations of up to 200 kilometers.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Millepora intricata Milne-Edwards, 1860
Common name(s): intricate fire coral; hydrocoral

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Corals in Colour
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Figure 3.3 cm across its widest points for a scale of roughly 1:8 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is one of two figures in the set that are hydrozoans rather than true corals. The Yujin corals are small and made out of a limestone-calcium carbonate sandstone, rather than the usual PVC. They make great accessories for other marine wildlife. I had difficulty finding metrics to calculate scale. One online reference indicated size data has not been analyzed; another said a maximum colony size of 25 cm. While this figure is not a large, mature colony, the scale above is calculated based on that 25-centimeter metric.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West-Central Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths of 3-30 meters
Diet: Predators on zooplankton and other small organisms that drift by their colonies; also metabolic byproducts of zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae) living in the tissues of the hydrozoan
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other Anthoathecata, M. intricata is a colonial A-form hydroid. Reproduction is more complex than other true reef-building corals. After sexual reproduction, the zygote develops into planula inside the gonophore and is later released as an actinula which metamorphoses into polyp stage.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Arborea arborea (Glaessner in Glaessner & Daily, 1959)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Cambrian TOOB
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Total figure height approx. 5.2 cm. Petalodium lengths range from 3.2-3.7 cm for a scale of 1:18.8-1:16.2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was marketed as Charniodiscus. However, looking at pics of several fossils online, the figure looks like it may have been inspired by a species now in the genus Arborea, and most probably A. arborea. Arborea was long considered synonymous with Charniodiscus (see below). I think the Yujin figure still represents true Charniodiscus, however.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Ediacaran; probably present in most oceans at the time
Habitat: Marine, benthic
Diet: Presumably filter feeder of planktonic organisms in the water column
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Arborea arborea was originally described in the genus Rangea in 1959. In 1966, the genus Arborea was described to accommodate it. In 1978, Arborea was synonymized with Charniodiscus. The type species of Charniodiscus, C. concentricus, has a multifoliate frond, whereas A. arborea and other species usually placed in Charniodiscus are bifoliate and do not have a fractal branching pattern. Because of these differences, Arborea was reinstated as a valid genus in 2018.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Geococcyx californianus (Lesson, 1829)
Common name(s): greater roadrunner

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari North American Wildlife
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:6.5-7.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: To my knowledge this is the only standard-sized roadrunner figure. Safari previously made this species for their Desert TOOB in 2004.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southwestern United States, northern Mexico
Habitat: Deserts, arid and semi-arid scrubland, chaparral, coastal sage scrub, arid grasslands
Diet: Reptiles, small mammals, small birds, large arthropods, cactus fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: While not as fast as depicted in cartoons, G. californianus is a very fast runner and doesn't often take to the air. It can run 29-32 kph over long distances and has a top speed clocked of 42 kph.

[bmathison1972]

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

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Hidden Kingdom Insects
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: If spread like a mounted specimen, wingspan would come to approx. 12.0 cm for a scale of 1.4:1-1.1:1 (slightly over 1:1 for a very large specimen).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the twelfth time we have seen D. plexippus in the Museum. Wires in the base of the wings allow them to be positioned at different levels above the body. This is also one of the few monarch figures that gets the number of functional legs correct (4).

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: Danaus plexippus acquires poisonous cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) from the milkweed weed plants they eat as larvae. This makes them distasteful to many predators. A couple native North American birds have found ways around the toxin. The black-backed oriole has the ability to detect cardenolides by taste and reject them. The black-headed grosbeak on the other hand has developed an insensitivity to the poisons that allows it to ingest monarchs without getting sick. Both birds can occasionally get build-ups of cardenolides in their bodies, forcing them to temporarily shift their diet to prey that doesn't contain these compounds.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Trichogomphus lunicollis Burmeister, 1847

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Beetles Vol. 6
Year of Production: 2024
Size/Scale: Body length (incl. cephalic horn) approx. 8.0 cm for a scale of 1.5:1-1.1:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Assembly is required. I had difficulty finding information on this species to calculate scale. The scale above was calculated based on a length of 5.5-7.0 cm, which is based on specimens for sale online.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Philippines, Sumatra)
Habitat: Tropical rainforest (see below)
Diet: Unknown (see below)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on the habitat and biology of this species (or even genus, for that matter). Trichogomphus lunicollis is a member of the tribe Oryctini. Larvae of many oryctines feed in decaying organic material, such as humus and compost, while adults feed on rotting fruit and vegetation or burrow into the stems of living plants, such as sugarcane and palms.