Mathison Museum of Natural History

[Gwangi]

That moon bear has been high on my wish list for a long time now. In fact, I'm thinking about just going ahead and quickly completing my bear collection (which numbers zero right now). It would be an easy group to check off the list.

Luckily there are good bear figures of every extant species (except the spectacled bear, which I think at the moment is only available as a Yowie).

Exactly! Although I didn't know that about the spectacled bear. Looking on ToyAnimalWiki I see a few other options, but none that are terribly exciting.
https://toyanimal.info/wiki/Spectacled_bear

[bmathison1972]

That moon bear has been high on my wish list for a long time now. In fact, I'm thinking about just going ahead and quickly completing my bear collection (which numbers zero right now). It would be an easy group to check off the list.

Luckily there are good bear figures of every extant species (except the spectacled bear, which I think at the moment is only available as a Yowie).

Exactly! Although I didn't know that about the spectacled bear. Looking on ToyAnimalWiki I see a few other options, but none that are terribly exciting.
https://toyanimal.info/wiki/Spectacled_bear

I forgot about the Colorata model; that one might work and scale well with those by Papo, Safari, Mojo.
Here are my selections:  http://animaltoyforum.com/index.php?topic=2432.msg20393;topicseen#msg20393

[Halichoeres]

Lots of cool stuff here, but I'm especially digging that waterscorpion, wow! I think I would have naively guessed they were more common as figures.

[bmathison1972]

Lots of cool stuff here, but I'm especially digging that waterscorpion, wow! I think I would have naively guessed they were more common as figures.

Thanks Halichoeres!

Next up:

Species: †Mixopterus kiaeri Størmer, 1934

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Ancient Fossils TOOB
Year of Production: 2009
Size/Scale: Fossil matrix 5.5 cm tall. Body length (excluding appendages) 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:14
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari marketed this figure at the genus level, but the species-level identification is mine, as it appears to have been inspired by a fossil of M. kiaeri housed in the Moscow Paleontological Museum. I decided to photograph this for my Museum as it might look in any other museum, rather than in a habitat-style diorama which wouldn't look as good for a fossilized animal.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Silurian of present-day Norway
Habitat: Freshwater lakes
Diet: Presumably freshwater invertebrates, possibly fish or other aquatic chordates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A (prehistoric)
Miscellaneous Notes: Ichnofossils attributed to the ichnogenus Merostomichnites in Norway are now believed to belong to M. kiaeri.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dynastes neptunus (Quensel, 1817) (Neptune beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Hayakawa Toys
Series: Insects Collection - Special
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length of larger specimen (including horns) 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:2 for a large major male. Body length of smaller specimen (including horns) 5.5 cm for a scale of approximately 1:3 for a large major male.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our fifth look at D. neptunus in the Museum. For some of the more commonly-made species in the Insects Collection set, Hayakawa produced both large and small versions, as seen here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood within treeholes of living trees, including Alchornea, Ocotea, and Urera; adults attracted to overripe fruit and sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other large dynastines, D. neptunus exhibits sexual dimorphism. Only males possess the large cephalic and pronotal horns, which are used for fighting rivals and securing feeding and breeding sites.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Mictyris longicarpus Latreille, 1806 (light-blue soldier crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 3
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Legspan 6.0 cm. Carapace width 2.3 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Australian Yowies, assembly is required and the final product is somewhat stylized. In earlier posts on the forums, I considered Mictyris figures by Epoch and Wing Mau this species; however, they are more likely to represent M. brevidactylus as that species is native to Japan.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific, from the Bay of Bengal to Australia
Habitat: Sandy beaches, mangrove flats
Diet: Detritus, diatoms, mollusk eggs, small invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Mictyris longicarpus spends much of the time buried in the sand. Shortly before low tide, crabs emerge in numbers. Factors that affect emergence include temperature, wind, and precipitation, and the different sexes respond differently, so environmental conditions could mean whether the crabs emerging are male, female, or both. After emerging from the sand, the crabs engage in an acrobatic grooming process to remove excess sand. The crabs then march towards the water en masse; M. longicarpus is one of the few crabs that can walk forwards, rather than sideways. These armies of marching crabs is what earned them the name 'soldier crab'. Once they reach the water, they feed by sifting organic material in the sand. Eventually, they break up and move back up shore and dig themselves back into the sand.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Locusta migratoria (Linnaeus, 1758) (migratory locust)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: B.I.G. Insects
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length (including wings) 8.0 cm for a scale of 2.2:1-1.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen L. migratoria in the Museum. Like most figures of the 'migratory' locust, this figure is painted in the animal's solitary phase (maybe because it's more colorful). Some assembly is required. Takara released another L. migratoria in the 2020 edition of the B.I.G. Insects collection, but I didn't pursue it under the assumption it was the same sculpt.

Edit May 28. 2022:. Takara just announced another L. migratoria figure in the 2022 edition of their B.I.G. Insects line (Insect Wars, presumably a spin-off of B.I.G. Insects). The 2022 version appears to be painted after the migratory phase. I have one on order and will review it when its time comes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Much of the Old World, including much of Africa (outside of the Sahara Desert), Europe, much of Asia, Japan, northern Australia, New Zealand
Habitat: Highly variable, including lowland forests, river deltas, grasslands, deserts, disturbed areas, and agricultural fields; usually in open areas
Diet: Grasses
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The most severe swarms of L. migratoria can have upwards of 40-80 million individuals per square kilometer and cover several hundred square kilometers. Swarms can cover up to 130 km a day. Large swarms can be detrimental to agricultural fields.

[Gwangi]

Does anyone make a Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus)? That's a species I would like to get.

[bmathison1972]

Does anyone make a Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus)? That's a species I would like to get.

@Gwangi - to my knowledge, no. However, the CollectA grasshopper is a good stand-in for Melanoplus (although the color isn't great for M. spretus). When I bought my CollectA hopper, it was actually advertised as the differential grasshopper (M. differentialis), but I think that designation was used by the online seller; I don't think CollectA specifically marketed it as that.

[Gwangi]

Yeah, I wouldn't think so. I would love to have one though.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Equus ferus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mongolian horse; Mongol horse)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Horse Country
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:15-1:18
Frequency of breed in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: While not normally a collector of horse breeds, this one piqued my interest, as it's considered an ancient breed that is virtually unchanged since its domestication (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Asia
Habitat: Steppes, grassland
Diet: Grasses
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated
Miscellaneous Notes: The Mongolian horse is considered an ancient breed, virtually unchanged since its domestication. It is uncertain when the Mongolian breed originated (horses have been domesticated in Central Asia since at least 2000 BC), but it was used by Genghis Khan in his military campaigns in the 13th century. To date the breed is not recognized by any formal organizations. Despite some similarities, the Mongolian horse is not descended from Przewalski's horse (E. f. przewalskii). In addition to being used for riding and hunting, the horse is also used by Mongolians for hair, milk, and meat.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) (barn owl)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Figure height 7.5 cm. Body length approximately 9.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.5-1:4.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: In my opinion, this is one of the two best 'standard-sized' representatives of this species currently available, the other being the 2006 model by CollectA; the Safari Ltd. Wings of the World figure (2012) is too simply painted for my taste. Mojö Fun is scheduled to be release one later this year that looks nice, too. Kaiyodo also made this species the first and second releases of the Fortune Owl Collection in the Capsule Q Museum line (both in 2015), but they would be smaller.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Nearly worldwide, including throughout the Americas (absent in much of the Amazon Basin), Europe, West Asia, Africa (absent in much of the Sahara Desert), Southeast Asia, and Australia; introduced to Hawaii (see also below)
Habitat: Highly variable, including grasslands, deserts, marshes, agricultural fields, suburban areas; usually in open areas for hunting, but require trees and other cavities for nesting
Diet: Rodents and lagomorphs, sometimes small birds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The taxonomy and nomenclature of T. alba is in a state of flux right now. Molecular data suggest there are at least three lineages under what is broadly classified as T. alba and some authorities recognize three species: the western barn owl (T. alba) for the populations in Europe, West Asia, and Africa, the eastern barn owl (T. javanica) for the populations in Southeast Asia, and the American barn owl (T. furcata) for the populations in the Americas. For my collection, I follow the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which still maintains everything in T. alba. If toy animal collectors prefer to split, this Papo figure still probably represents T. alba since it was probably modeled after European birds.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758) (European stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Running Press
Series: Museum of Natural History - Insects
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 8.5 cm, within scale 1:1 (however, the figure is stylized and the proportions are not equal)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen L. cervus in the Museum. This figure accompanies a children's book, Museum of Natural History: Insects. It appears to be a puzzle figure, but I can't remember if it came assembled or not (it's been at least six years since I bought it).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe, Middle East, Central Asia
Habitat: Old-growth hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of hardwood trees, particularly Quercus (oak), but also Tilia (lime), Fagus (beech), Acer (maple), Populus (poplar), and Fraxinus (ash), among several others; also rotting timber, bark chippings, compost heaps in gardens, and other detritus. Adults feed on nectar and tree sap.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Larvae of L. cervus require large, old trees in which to develop. The destruction of old-growth forests throughout Europe has lead to a substantial decline in the beetle's population. It is extinct in some European countries and very rare in many others. It is now protected throughout much of its range.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Athous haemorrhoidalis (Fabricius, 1801)
Common name(s): red-brown skipjack

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Funrise Toys
Series: World of Nature Insect Collection
Year of Production: 1989
Size/Scale: Body length 5.0 cm for a scale of 5:1-3.3:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Funrise Toys only marketed this as a click beetle; the rather bold species designation is my own, with assistance from a fellow click beetle specialist (being a specialist on click beetles, I feel comfortable being bold here). At first I suspected it could be a member of the genus Ampedus, but the pronotum is too long and the pronotal hind angles don't extend backwards from the pronotum (still, the hind angles are a bit pronounced here for an Athous).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Western Palearctic; naturalized in northeastern North America (eastern Canada, Massachusetts)
Habitat: Lowland hardwood and coniferous forests, fens, peatlands, agricultural fields, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae live in soil and feed on insect larvae and plant roots; adults eat pollen
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Athous haemorrhoidalis can sometimes become a pest of crops, if eggs are laid in agricultural fields. In Europe, it is considered a pest of cereal crops, potatoes, and fruit orchards

[bmathison1972]

Species: Anax junius (Drury, 1773) (green darner; common green darner)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Smithsonian Insects
Year of Production: 1994
Size/Scale: Wingspan 19.5 cm. Body length 14.0 cm for a scale of 2:1-1.75:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. made three sizes of this species. Today's was the largest, as most of the Smithsonian Insects figures were sculpted at twice natural size. They made a slightly smaller version (still larger than 1:1) in 2000 for the Hidden Kingdom Collection that followed the Smithsonian collection. In 1995, they made a small version for the Authentics Insects Collection.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North and Central America, Hawaii, West Indies; vagrants in Bermuda, Russia, East Asia, Japan, Europe
Habitat: Breeding occurs in freshwater habitats, such as lakes, ponds, slow rivers and streams; adults can travel great distances to hunt and may be found in forests, grasslands, deserts, parks, gardens, urban areas
Diet: Nymphs feed on freshwater invertebrates, small fish, tadpoles; adults feed on flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Anax junius is a migratory species. Recent research suggests there may be three generations a year. The first generation emerges as adults in the southern part of its range and migrates north during the spring and summer. The second generation emerges in the summer in the northern part of its range and migrates south during the fall. The third generation emerges in the southern part of the range, but does not migrate. Anax junius has been recorded migrating up to 140 km/day.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Daphnia pulex Leydig, 1860 (water flea)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Microcosmos
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Black base 3.0 cm in diameter. Acrylic backdrop 4.5 cm in diameter. Body length 3.0 cm for a scale of 150:1-10:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen D. pulex in the Museum. The animal is removable from its base. Kaiyodo made this species three times, and while they are all the same size and very similar in overall appearance, it is hard to tell if they represent the same sculpt (the Enoshima Aquarium figure was presented in the Museum already, back on January 22, 2022). They are all very similar but the internal structures don't all look exactly the same.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Cosmopolitan
Habitat: Still freshwater, including ponds, lakes, swamps, ephemeral pools, poorly-maintained swimming pools
Diet: Phytoplankton, algae, bacteria, detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Daphnia pulex is a major part of the freshwater ecosystem, as the water fleas serve as a food source for many vertebrate and invertebrate aquatic predators. Also, D. pulex is essential for converting phytoplankton and decaying matter into a more usable form.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Macaca nigra (Desmarest, 1822) (Celebes crested macaque)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Mojö Fun
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Total figure length 7.5 cm. Height at shoulder 5.3 cm. Scale difficult to calculate, but body length from snout to tail 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:6.9-1:7.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure has a deep connection to the STS forum. If I understand the history correctly, it was designed and/or sculpted by former STS forum member James Connelly with input by forum member Kikimalou, who has used M. nigra as his forum avatar for years.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indonesia (Sulawesi, Pulau Manadotua, Pulau Talise, Pulau Bacan)
Habitat: Rainforest
Diet: Primarily fruit; when fruit is scarce, diet is supplemented with shoots, leaves, invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles, eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Macaca nigra lives in groups of roughly 5-25 animals, although some groups can have up to 75 animals. Smaller groups typically have a single mature male, but larger groups can have upwards of four mature males. Macaca nigra is promiscuous, with both males and females having multiple partners. In larger groups with multiple males, females will pursue higher-ranking males in the group. However; all males, regardless of rank, usually have an equal opportunity for mating.

[Gwangi]

This one is on my short list of figures to get. I love it.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Theretra oldenlandiae (Fabricius, 1775) (impatiens hawkmoth; taro hornworm)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Caterpillars Vol. 2
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length 7.5 cm, slightly larger than 1:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is one of several species in the Capsule Q Museum Caterpillars collections that is represented only by a larva in toy form (to the best of my knowledge). This figure is slightly larger than 1:1, with the natural length of the larva of the species attaining approximately 7.0 cm.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia
Habitat: Open lowlands, agricultural fields
Diet: Larvae feed on a wide variety of plants, including members of the genera Alocasia, Amorphophallus, Arisaema (cobra lilies), Caladium (elephant ear), Colocasia, Cryptocoryne (crypts), Pinellia (green dragons), Zantedeschia (arum lily), Impatiens, Careya, Planchonia (billy goat plum), Hibbertia (guinea flowers), Clarkia (godetia), Epilobium (willowherbs), Fuchsia (fuchsia), Coelospermum, Oldenlandia, Ampelocissus, Ampelopsis (peppervine), Cayratia (slender grape), Pentas (star cluster), Vitis (grape); adults feed on nectar
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: In some regions, T. oldenlandiae is considered a pest, especially of Impatiens wallerana (busy lizzie) and Fuchsia spp. (fuchsias).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Aglais io (Linnaeus, 1758) (European peacock)

About the Figure:
Manufacturers: K&M International; Insect Lore
Series: Mini Butterfly Polybag; Big Bunch-O Butterflies
Years of Production: unknown; 2013
Size/Scale: Wingspan 3.5 cm for an average scale of 1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Neither figure is identified at the species level and the identifications are my own, based on a larger figure made by K&M International. The figure on the upper left is by K&M International; the one on the lower right is by Insect Lore. The two figures are nearly identical and without unique markings. I only know which is which because I can compare the nuances of the paint application with images in earlier posts on the forum! Whether Insect Lore copied K&M (I do know the K&M model came first) or they both outsourced the same manufacturer, I do not know.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Palearctic
Habitat: Woodlands, fields, meadows, pastures, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae feed primarily on plants in the genera Urtica (nettles) and Humulus (hops); adults take nectar from flowers and feed on tree sap and rotting fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The large eyespots on the hind wings of A. io are believed to be a defense mechanism to confuse predators such as passerine birds. The butterfly can also emit a hissing sound to confuse or ward off would-be predators.