Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Accipiter nisus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Eurasian sparrowhawk; northern sparrowhawk

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series/Collection: European Animals TOOB
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:5.3-1:6.2 for a male (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The scale above is calculated based on a male, which the figure appears to be based on color.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Palearctic; widespread in Eurasia and parts of northern Africa, wintering in east and central Africa, the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia
Habitat: Coniferous, broadleaf, and mixed woodlands, forest margins, scrub forest, copses, orchards, agricultural fields, parks, suburban areas; wintering habitats can be quite diverse
Diet: Primarily small birds; occasionally small mammals and large insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Accipiter nisus is a specialized predator of small birds, which make up roughly 97% of its diet. Seven different methods of hunting have been described: 1) short-stay-perch-hunting, 2) high soaring and stooping, 3) contour-hugging in flight, 4) still-hunting, 5) low quartering, 6) hunting by sound, 7) hunting on foot. Female Eurasian sparrowhawks are larger than their male counterparts, and this is reflected in the prey they catch. Females will capture prey up to 150 g, including doves, magpies, thrushes, and starlings. Males capture prey up to about 40 grams, and tend to focus on smaller songbirds, such as tits, finches, sparrows, and buntings.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Canis lupus arctos Pocock, 1935
Common name(s): Arctic wolf; white wolf; polar wolf

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series/Collection: Wild Safari North American Wildlife
Year of Production: 2007
Size/Scale: Shoulder height approx. 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:11.6-1:14.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon (as a subspecies)
Miscellaneous Notes: There are not many what I would call good, 'true' Arctic wolf figures (i.e., not just white versions or repaints of typical grey wolves). A couple other nicer ones are those by Papo (2016) and Schleich (2015).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Arctic Canada (Elizabeth Islands) and Greenland
Habitat: Arctic tundra
Diet: Apex predator of other animals, primarily musk ox and Arctic hares; occasionally other mammals, birds, insects, carrion, human refuse
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (as a subspecies); Data Deficient according to COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada)
Miscellaneous Notes: Molecular studies seem to show that many subspecies of grey wolf (C. lupus) are merely varieties of the species that adapted to new environments, including the Arctic wolf. For the Arctic wolf specifically, analysis of mitochondrial DNA in combination with morphometric analysis suggest that colonization of the Arctic Archipelago is relatively recent and not sufficient to warrant subspecies status. In 1995, the subspecies C. l. orion (Greenland wolf) and the now extinct C. l bernardi (Banks Island wolf) were placed in synonymy with C. l. arctos.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dermacentor variabilis (Say, 1821)
Common name(s): American dog tick; wood tick

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: unknown
Series/Collection: unknown
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length of male (excl appendages) approx. 3.2 cm for a scale of 8.9:1. Gravid female (excl. appendages) approx. 4.7 cm for a scale of 3.1:1.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (possibly unique as a pair)
Miscellaneous Notes: I don't know anything about these figures, including who made them or when they came out. They were bought on the Japanese Yahoo! site years ago. From what I can tell, there were eight figures, a male and an engorged/gravid female for four species of North American ticks (I have three of the pairs; I was never able to acquire the Rhipicephalus sanguineus).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America
Habitat: Woodlands, forest margins, grasslands, along trails and roads
Diet: All stages feed on the blood of mammalian hosts. Larvae and nymphs typically feed on small mammals, such as mice, voles, rats, and chipmunks. Adults typically feed on larger mammals such as raccoons, opossums, skunks, cats, dogs, and humans.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dermacentor variabilis is a vector of Rickettsia ricketsii (Rocky Mountain spotted fever) and Francisella tularensis (tularemia). The tick can also cause tick paralysis when salivary neurotoxins induce rapidly progressive flaccid quadriparesis similar to Guillain–Barré syndrome. Tick paralysis is often seen in children and occurs when the tick attaches above the neck, usually behind the ears. If the tick is removed in a timely manner, symptoms resolve rapidly.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Rhinolophus hipposideros (Bechstein, 1800)
Common name(s): lesser horseshoe bat

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series/Collection: Bats
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.4-1:3.2 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare to unique depending on species assigned (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was simply marked 'horseshoe bat'. With over 90 species in the genus Rhinolophus, I chose to have mine represent the lesser horseshoe bat as I have a Kaiyodo figure that specifically represents the greater horseshoe bat (R. ferrumequinum). Using wingspan as a metric the scale comes to 1:2.4-1:3.2; however, using body length as a metric (n=3.2 cm) scale comes to 1:1.1-1:1.4. The body appears to be sculpted too long in relation to the wingspan, so the latter is probably a more realistic metric to use when calculating scale.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe, Northern Africa, Near East to India (Kashmir)
Habitat: Shrubland, valleys, forest edges, grasslands, urban and suburban areas; roosting occurs in caves in forested, limestone-rich areas but also manmade structures such as roofs, tunnels, attics, and cellars.
Diet: Small insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many bats, R. hipposideros uses echolocation to find its prey. It uses frequencies between 93 and 111 kHz, and has the most energy at 110 kHz with an average duration of 31.7 ms.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Alright alright, I didn't "miss" this post I was just busy at work this day so I apologize for the retrocommentary...

This is, by far- hands down- beyond words even- the best wolf figure of its genre out there. And I realized today this bad boy is almost 20 years old! Released in 2007! And its STILL the #1 wolf (nearly the #1 wild canine sculpt up until this last year with Safari's arctic fox release [thank you Doug!!!]). This is just wild to me.

The Safari gray wolf is also wonderfully done, but unfortunately it lacks the motion and thus the character that this arctic has. It really is the king of wild dogs still even when technology has improved a few dozen fold.

Manufacturers need to step up their game. Wolves are one of the most recognizable wild species out there given their global range and yet most of them are far inferior. I hope this changes but Schleich's modt recent arctics from this year? MILES away from they should be. Simply a shame.

And Blaine, that tick is nastay! Gives me war flashbacks to my vet tech days and the war on these things.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Grus monacha Temminck, 1835
Common name(s): hooded crane

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series/Collection: Natural Monuments of Japan
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate but body length approx. 8.3 cm for a scale of 1:11-1:12
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Breeding occurs in central and eastern Siberia and possibly adjacent Mongolia and China (Heilongjiang). Wintering occurs primarily in southern Japan (Izumi), with small populations in Korean Peninsula, eastern China, and the Philippines.
Habitat: Breeding occurs around isolated bogs and higher altitude forested wetlands (e.g., larch forest). Wintering occurs in open wetlands, grasslands, rice paddies, agricultural fields.
Diet: Aquatic plants, berries, amphibians, invertebrates; wintering diet includes rice and other cereal grains
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Grus monacha is currently classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN and is listed on Appendices I and II of CITES. Major threats to the bird are habitat loss, especially in its wintering grounds in China and South Korea, for development and dam building.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dryococelus australis (Montrouzier, 1855)
Common name(s): Lord Howe Island stick insect; tree lobster

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Science and Nature
Series/Collection: Animals of Australia - Small
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 9.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.3 for a large female specimen (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Dryococelus australis is sexually dimorphic and based on hind leg characters, this sculpt is based on a female specimen.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Lord Howe Island Group
Habitat: Broadleaf forests; usually in tree holes of living trees. On Ball's Pyramid (see below), where there are no trees, the phasmid occurs on the shrub Melaleuca howeana (tea tree).
Diet: Plants; the leaves of host trees and shrubs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Dryococelus australis has a fascinating history of devastation and rediscovery. The phasmid was quite abundant on Lord Howe Island until 1918 when a shipwreck introduced black rats to the island. By 1920, the insect was declared extinct! In 1964, climbers on Ball's Pyramid, a rocky sea stack about 23 km southeast of Lord Howe, found a carcass of D. australis. Subsequent expeditions found more fresh carcasses, but no live insects. Finally, in 2001 a team of entomologists discovered a population of D. australis on a tea tree shrub. They deduced that examining vegetation at night would be successful and they were correct! In 2003 two breeding pairs were brought to the Australian mainland, one to a private breeder and one to the Melbourne Zoo; only the latter was successful in establishing a breeding colony. Today the insects are also bred in the Budapest, Bristol, San Diego, and Toronto Zoos. In 2001, an eradication program for the rats was started on Lord Howe Island and by 2023 the island was considered rat-free. Plans are underway to carefully reintroduce the phasmid to the island.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Anomalocaris canadensis Whiteaves, 1892

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series/Collection: Dinotales Series 2
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:6.2-1:6.9
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fifth time we've seen A. canadensis in the Museum. Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required and the animal is removable from its base. Nice for the era it which it was made, there are a few anatomical errors based on our current understanding of the animal, including too few side flaps on the main body (11, should be 13), an oral cone divided into four sections (should be triradiate), paired spines on the terminal body segment, and a lack of a frontal sclerite.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early to mid-Cambrian of present-day Canada
Habitat: Marine, pelagic
Diet: Presumably soft-bodied marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Anomalocaris canadensis was first described in 1892 based on its anterior appendage, which was perceived to be the body of a phyllopod crustacean! Various other partial anomalocaridid structures have been described as jellyfish, sea cucumbers, and polychaete worms. It wasn't until 1979 that the original structure the animal was described from was recognized as the feeding appendage of a larger arthropod.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Papilio nobilis Rogenhofer, 1891
Common name(s): noble swallowtail

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series/Collection: Butterflies
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.4-1:1.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: 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).

I cannot remember who proposed today's identification. It is not one I am comfortable with, but it will have to suffice until something better comes along. Papilio nobilis is a highly variable species, and while the base color works for the species, the white maculae are certainly stylized and exaggerated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Africa
Habitat: Rainforest
Diet: Larvae feed on Warburgia ugandensis (Ugandan greenheart); adults take nectar from flowers and nutrients from damp soil
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are four subspecies of P. nobilis: P. n. nobilis (highlands of Kenya, Lake Victoria, eastern Uganda, northwestern Tanzania), P. n. didingensis (southern Sudan, South Sudan), P. n. crippsianus (DRC, western Uganda, western Kenya, northwestern Tanzania), P. n. mpanda (western Tanzania).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Nycticebus bengalensis (Lacépède, 1800)
Common name(s): Bengal slow loris; northern slow loris

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Naturalism
Series/Collection: Naturally Adorkable
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate because of the animal's posture. Body length approx. 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.7-1:5.4.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare to unique (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: The Naturally Adorkable collection is made up of solid-piece resin figures that primarily represent Chinese species. 'Adorkable' refers to being awkward in a way as to appear cute or endearing, combining the words 'adorable' and 'dork'. Apparently the animals in this set meet that definition :-). This figure was specifically marketed as N. bengalensis, but to my knowledge the other slow loris figures (Eikoh and Schleich) were not marketed at the species level. Personally, I have the Eikoh figure represent the pygmy slow loris (Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus) due to its smaller size.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, from northeastern India to China and peninsular Thailand
Habitat: Primarily tropical and subtropical rainforest, occasionally scrub forest and bamboo groves; arboreal, typically in the canopy
Diet: Plant exudates (sap, gum, resins, latexes), nectar, fruit, bark, invertebrates, small vertebrates, bird eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: A creature of the night, N. bengalensis has excellent night vision aided by tapetum lucidum, a layer of tissue in the eye that reflects visible light back through the retina.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Desmatosuchus spurensis Case, 1921

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series/Collection: Replicas Saurus 1:40
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 12.5 cm long for a scale of 1:36-1:40 Using skull as a metric (n=1.7 cm) scale comes to approx. 1:22 (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being a product of its era, this is an outdated reconstruction of the species. Among other things, the characteristic shoulder spikes are now believed to point posteriorly, rather than anteriorly as shown here. Using body length vs. skull results in quite different scale; the head is probably a little large in relation to the rest of the body.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Triassic of present-day western North America
Habitat: Cycad and fern forests, marshland, swampland
Diet: Presumably plants; possibly insects or other invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Desmatosuchus  had blunt, bulbous, slightly recurved teeth, possibly with homodont dentation. This in combination with a shovel-like snout has lead some authorities to suggest that the animal dug up subterranean plants for food. However, Desmatosuchus  also lacked teeth in the premaxilla, which has led some to believe that it may have feed on subterranean invertebrates, much like extant armadillos. Another synapomorphy with armadillos is the heavily armored body.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pediculus humanus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): human head-and-body louse

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Steven's Pixie Toys
Series/Collection: unknown
Year of Production: unknown (c. 1960s)
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 9.0 cm for a scale of 36:1-30:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen P. humanus in the Museum. I don't know much about this figure; it's a vintage 'jiggler' toy, something I would normally not collect but as a professional parasitologist I just had to have it :-). Based on similar figures for sale online, it was probably produced in the 1960s. Steven Manufacturing Company was based out of Missouri in the US and started producing novelty toys in 1943. They were famous for things like 'pick-up' sticks and kaleidoscopes. Apparently the original factory was destroyed in 1993 when the Missouri River flooded but reopened in 1994 in another area. The company finally closed in 2005.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Cosmopolitan
Habitat: Head lice (P. h. capitis) spend their entire lives living among human hair, especially on the scalp; body lice (P. h. humanus) primarily live off of the host on fomites (bedding, clothing, etc.) and only migrate to the human body to feed.
Diet: Nymphs and adults feed on human blood
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Head lice do not transmit disease-causing microorganisms, but body lice can, including Rickettsia prowazekii (epidemic typhus), Bartonella quintana (trench fever), and Borrelia recurrentis (louse-borne relapsing fever).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777)
Common name(s): beech marten; stone marten; house marten; white-breasted marten

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series/Collection: Schleich Forest/Wild Life Europe
Year of Production: 1997
Size/Scale: Body length difficult to measure, but approx. 5.5-6.0 cm for a scale of 1:7-1:9.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: A surprisingly still decent figure given its age of 28 years! The only other one I am aware of is a contemporary by Bullyland.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eurasia; introduced to North America (Wisconsin)
Habitat: Open montane deciduous forests, rocky outcroppings, suburban and urban areas; dens occur in abandoned burrows, tree hollows, rocky crevices, manmade structures
Diet: Opportunistic omnivore; fruits, small mammals (including domestic rabbits), birds and their eggs (including domestic poultry), reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, carrion
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Martes foina is much more adaptable to urban and suburban areas than other species of Martes, and in these environments usually den in buildings and other manmade structures.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Riccordia bicolor (Gmelin, 1788)
Common name(s): blue-headed hummingbird

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series/Collection: Wild Animals/Garden Animals
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.4-1:1.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Papo only marketed this figure as a hummingbird. There have been several discussions on the forums as to a possible identification. I bounced around several ideas and finally settled on R. bicolor (although I cannot remember who may have first proposed it). In 2023, several figures from Papo's Wild Animals line, including today's hummingbird, were moved into a new line called Garden Animals.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Lesser Antilles (Martinique and Dominica)
Habitat: Montane primary and secondary forests, often in riparian areas; also coffee plantations, gardens
Diet: Nectar from flowers, small arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Riccordia bicolor was originally described in the genus Trochilus but until 2014 was in the monotypic genus Cyanophaia. Riccordia was previously a subgenus of the large neotropical genus Chlorostilbon. A 2014 molecular study showed Chlorostilbon to be polyphyletic and Riccordia was resurrected to accommodate four Caribbean species. The same molecular study showed that C. bicolor was nestled within Riccordia and was moved accordingly. There are currently five species in Riccordia: R. bicolor (Martinique and Dominica); the Puerto Rican emerald, R. maugaeus (Puerto Rico); the Cuban emerald R. ricordii (Bahamas and Cuba); the Hispaniolan emerald, R. swainsonii (Hispaniola); and the now-extinct Brace's emerald, R. bracei (New Providence)

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Diprotodon optatum Owen, 1838
Common name(s): giant wombat

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Southlands Replicas
Series/Collection: Australian Animals
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approx. 8.7 cm for a scale of 1:18.4-1:20.7 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was retired in 2019 when Southlands Replicas folded after a short three-year run. Today's figure was based on a female specimen. In 2024, CollectA produced a male. In 2022, Mojö Fun reissued several Southlands Replicas models, but to my knowledge this was not one of them. Bootlegs of this figure exist, however (e.g., Atralo Service). Females were smaller than males, so the figure probably scales closer to the lower end of the range listed above.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Pleistocene of Australia
Habitat: Open woodlands, savanna, semi-arid plains
Diet: Plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: With a shoulder height of 160-180 cm and an estimated average weight of 2,786 kg, D. optatum is the largest known marsupial ever.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Calappa hepatica (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): reef box crab; common box crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series/Collection: Diversity of Life on Earth - Advanced Crab
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Carapace width approx. 7.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen C. hepatica in the Museum. Assembly wasn't required, but the figure is heavily articulated. The design of this figure is heavily influenced by the box crabs in the Dango Mushi line, which was essentially the precursor to the Diversity of Life on Earth line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea
Habitat: Coral reefs, sandy and shelly seabeds, seagrass meadows; at depths of 0-150 meters
Diet: Hard-shelled mollusks and hermit crabs residing in gastropod shells
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Calappa hepatica is a nocturnal predator, remaining buried in sand during the day. At night, it comes out to hunt its prey. The reef box crab is a specialized predator on mollusks and hermit crabs that reside in hard shells. It has specially-adapted chelae (claws) for breaking into the shells. There is a large accessory tooth located at the base of the hinged part of the right chela, which is located opposite a flat plate on the fixed part, and with the two working together act like a vice. After breaking open the shell, it uses its left chela, which is longer and more pointed than the one on the right, to pick out the soft tissues.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Choeropsis liberiensis (Morton, 1849)
Common name(s): pygmy hippopotamus

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series/Collection: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approx. 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:15.5-1:22.2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: CollectA also released a calf alongside this adult (maybe someday I'll pursue it).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Africa
Habitat: Forested swamps, streams, and rivers
Diet: Plants, especially herbs, ferns, broadleaf shrubs, shoots, forbs, sedges, and fallen fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: The Hippopotamidae are believed to have evolved in Africa. They have a fossil record in Eurasia, but are unknown from the Americas. The ancestors of the two extant genera, Choeropsis and Hippopotamus (common hippo), are believed to have diverged approximately 8 MYA. The immediate ancestor of Choeropsis is believed to be Saotherium; Choeropsis and Saotherium are thought to be more basal than Hippopotamus and its immediate ancestor (Hexaprotodon), and are probably more morphologically similar to ancestral hippopotamids.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Chironex yamaguchii Lewis & Bentlage, 2009
Common name(s): habu-kurage

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: The Access
Series/Collection: 3D Dangerous Sea Creatures Pictorial Book
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Entire figure approx. 8.5 cm tall. Bell height approx. 2.0 cm for a scale of 1:3-1:5.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was not marketed at the species level, but using hints on the packaging, in combination with its morphology, I came up with the identification of C. yamaguchii.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific, from southern Japan to the Philippines
Habitat: Pelagic, coastal
Diet: Small fish, pelagic invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Chironex yamaguchii, like other box jellyfish, is extremely venomous. Stings can result in cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. Several deaths have resulted from the sting of the habu-kurage. The major toxic protein in the animal's nematocyst (the stinging barb on its tentacles) is CqTX-A, which is found in other box jellies.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Atelerix albiventris (Wagner, 1841)
Common name(s): four-toed hedgehog; African pygmy hedgehog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series/Collection: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure length approx. 4.5 cm. Using hind foot as a metric (n=1.0 cm) scale comes to an average of 1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Other figures of this species have been made by Kaiyodo, Safari Ltd., Schleich, and possibly others. A couple of the Kaiyodo figures represent domestic morphotypes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and East Africa
Habitat: Open woodlands, deserts, grasslands, Sahelian acacia savanna; usually in dry rocky and grassy areas
Diet: Invertebrates, small vertebrates; occasionally plant matter
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Atelerix albiventris is one of the most popular domesticated hedgehogs in the pet industry. They have a docile temperament and are even shown in competitive hedgehog shows! Because of large amount of captive breeding stock available, this hedgehog is rarely collected from the wild anymore. Some places, especially in the United States and Canada, have banned ownership of the species because they can carry foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) which can be fatal for other domestic animals, including cattle, goats, and pigs.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Atta texana (Buckley, 1860)
Common name(s): Texas leaf-cutter ant

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Club Earth
Series/Collection: Ants and Termites
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 4.0 cm for a scale of 10:1-2.9:1 depending on the worker morphotype (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was simply marked as a leaf-cutter ant. The figures in this set all represent North American species, which limits the options to Acromyrmex or Atta. For years, I had it databased as Acromyrmex, but it doing a more thorough analysis for this post, I think it actually represents a member of the genus Atta. There are two species of Atta that reach the United States, A. mexicana and A. texana, the latter of which is more common and familiar in the US (A. mexicana only barely reaches the US in southern Arizona). There are 12 different morphotypes of worker ants, ranging in length from 4-14 mm, the largest of which are the soldiers. The scale above encompasses the entire range.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South-central United States (Texas, Louisiana) and northeastern Mexico
Habitat: Woodlands, brushlands, open fields, roadsides, suburban areas; subterranean
Diet: Fungi in the genus Attamyces that is cultivated on plant clippings the ants gather; worker ants will also eat plant exudates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Leaf-cutter ants are nature's original gardeners. Known for harvesting cuttings from plants, the ants to not eat the plants they collect, but rather use them as a nutritive source for a special basidiomycete fungus (Attamyces) they grow in subterranean chambers. Unfortunately, the ants will sometimes cut leaves and stems from commercially-grown plants and it has been estimated that A. texana causes agricultural losses of $5 million annually in the United States! On occasion, A. texana will also enter houses and other buildings, foraging on cereals.