Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Prosopocoilus hasterti (Boileau, 1912)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - standard series, small
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 4.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.5 for a major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fifth species of Prosopocoilus we've seen in the Museum! Based on the color of the elytra, today's figure appears to have been painted to represent the subspecies P. h. moinieri (see below). The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing roughly 75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. The dates of release are currently unknown to me (c. 2008). The figures were produced in conjunction with Bandai and came with Pokemon-style playing cards. At the time of this writing, I think I have all but two of the species. For a review of the sets, please see here.


About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had a hard time researching information on this species, and some of the biological information above is inferred from other species in the genus. From what I can tell, there are two subspecies of P. hasterti, both endemic to the Solomon Islands: the nominate P. h. hasteri, which occurs on Bougainville Island (which is politically part of Papua New Guinea), and P. h. moinieri, which occurs on Malaita.

[Isidro]

And besides being extremely stylized and sold under sensationalist inaccurate common name, they put the honeybee in the series "Insect Predators" when western honeybees are absolutely non predatory both as adults as as larvae... It's not like if they don't have about 824243 better candidates for put in the set

[bmathison1972]

Species: Bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758) (American bison)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2009
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:22.3-1:24.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very Common
Miscellaneous Notes: There is no shortage of good B. bison figures out there, and other very nice and recent examples include those by Schleich (2014), Safari Ltd. (2018), and the latest by CollectA, which coincidentally just released earlier this month! When I went to purchase a bison, I chose this CollectA version, because while I felt the Schleich and Safari versions were very nice, they looked like iconic bison one might see on a postage stamp or a Welcome to Montana sign, whereas this CollectA model looked more like a wild animal in its natural habitat. When CollectA announced its replacement model for 2022, I thought it was a superb figure, but after much scrutinizing and back-and-forth, I decided my 2009 version didn't need to be replaced just yet.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Western North America
Habitat: Plains, grasslands, sagebrush, scrubland (B. b. bison); boreal forest (B. b. athabascae)
Diet: Grasses, sagebrush
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: By the late 1880s, populations of B. bison dropped from over 25 million to fewer than 600. In the late 1880s and early 1900s conservation efforts helped save the species and many bison were moved to private ranches, national parks, and wildlife refuges. One of those was on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake in Utah, which will be my focus since it's very close to where I live and the only place I have seen bison in the wild! In 1883, 12 bison were taken to the island from a private ranch in Texas. While the bison thrived initially, hunting began on the island in 1896 and the population dropped to just a few individuals (a 1926 hunt reduced the population from roughly 300-400 bison to about 50!). The surviving bison were left alone and the population began to increase again. In 1969, the State of Utah purchased 2,000 acres of the island and then in 1981 purchased the rest of the island. Today there are roughly 550-700 bison on the island and hunting is limited to a few individuals annually to help control the population and monitor for disease. Some bison are removed and sent to other herds in North America because of some unique genetic markers in the population due to their long-time genetic isolation from other bison.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hebomoia glaucippe (Linnaeus, 1758) (great orange-tip)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Club Earth
Series: Butterflies to Go
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.0 cm for a scale slightly under 1:1 (1:1.1-1:1.4)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen H. glaucippe in the Museum. The Club Earth butterflies are marked with the common name on the underside of the wings. The figure on the left is by Club Earth; the one of the right is from a set by an unknown manufacturer. This set of 'unknown' butterflies consists of 12 species that are nearly identical to those produced by Club Earth. The only real difference is that they lack the common names printed on the underside of the figures. Otherwise, the quality of plastic and paint applications are nearly just as good as the CE figures. It is possible Club Earth (or Wing Mau, who produced many Club Earth figures) was commissioned to make these for another distributor, or Club Earth and another company bought the rights to the same sculpts, or these figures are just blatant knockoffs of the CE figures, who knows?

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, southern Japan
Habitat: Highly variable, including rainforests, fields, grasslands, arid scrubland, disturbed areas.
Diet: Larval host plants include capers (Capparis, Crateva), and spider plants (Cleome); adults feed on nectar, with a preference for Lantana.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are upwards of 28 subspecies of Hemomoia glaucippe. Most of the figures, including today's and those influenced by it, appear to be based on a female of the Taiwanese subspecies, H. g. formosana (but I am not familiar with all the options).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Shaw, 1799) (platypus)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Southlands Replicas
Series: Australian Animals
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length 5.3 cm for a scale of approximately 1:7-1:10
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: I have considered replacing this figure by a slightly larger model (CollectA, Papo, Safari), but think I'll keep it in the long run, especially with the folding of the Southlands Replicas line. Southlands Replicas marketed this figure as a female platypus, and the scale above is based on the length range of a female specimen.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern mainland Australia, Tasmania
Habitat: Rivers, lagoons, streams; especially aquatic habitats that are heavily vegetated
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, small fish and fish eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Ornithorhynchus anatinus has a large set of morphologies that combined make it unlike any other extant mammal, including but not limited to: 1) a duck-like bill used for electroreception, 2) thick, waterproof fur, 3) being oviparous, 4) mammary glands, but no nipples, 5) a broad tail used for storing fat, 6) defensive spurs on the hind legs, which are venomous in the male, and 7) a body temperature that is on average 5°C cooler than placental mammals.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Scolopendra sp. (giant centipedes)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Little Wonders
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length (minus appendages) 16.5 cm, within scale 1:1 for some species.
Frequency of genus in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: CollectA did not market this figure at the species level, and the genus designation is my own; however, there are too many species of Scolopendra to confidently assign a species name. The smaller figure in the image is the miniature counterpart of the larger figure; it was also released in 2020 as part of the Mini Insects and Spiders collection. It has a body length of 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:5, depending on the species. All of the figures in the mini collection are simply smaller versions of the standard-sized CollectA figures.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions
Habitat: Highly varied, including rainforests, subtropical forests, thornscrub, savanna, deserts
Diet: Insects and other invertebrates; occasionally small reptiles, amphibians, and mammals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [species dependent, but most if not all probably Not Evaluated]
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other centipedes, members of the genus Scolopendra are venomous. The venom contains serotonin, hemolytic phospholipase, cardiotoxic proteins, and cytolysin. While human deaths from centipede bites are rare, they have occured with S. subspinipes and S. gigantea.

[bmathison1972]

And with Shark Week just around the corner....

Species: Pristis pristis (Linnaeus, 1758) (largetooth sawfish; common sawfish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Sealife
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length 21.0 cm for a scale of 1:9.5-1:35
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare (depending on species assigned to 'sawfish' figures)
Miscellaneous Notes: Sawfish are not common as toys, but other standard-sized figures have been made by Safari Ltd., Papo, and Schleich. I do not know enough about the intricacies of each species to know of the figures all represent P. pristis or other species.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastally worldwide in tropical and subtropical oceans
Habitat: Estuaries and bays, often migrating into brackish and freshwater rivers and lakes; at depths to 25 meters (usually less than 10 meters)
Diet: Fish, mollusks, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: All extant species of Pristis are classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN. The main threat to P. pristis is overhunting, followed by habitat destruction. Their fins are used in 'shark fin soup' in Asia and thier saws are highly sought as novelty items but are also used culturally in rituals and ceremonies, such as masquerades in Nigeria.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cheirotonus jambar Kurosawa, 1984 (Yanbaru long-armed scarab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: The Study Room
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Base 4.5 cm in diameter. Armspan 8.5 cm. Body length (excluding appendages) 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:1.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen C. jambar in the Museum. Kaiyodo has produced this species three times; all three figures are very similar in size but none appear to be exact copies of any of the others. The beetle is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan (Yanbaru Forest, Okinawa)
Habitat: Subtropical broadleaf forest
Diet: Larvae breed in branches of living Quercus (oak) and Castanopsis (Itajii chinkapin); adults feed on sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Cheirotonus jambar exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism and only males have such exaggerated front tibiae. The role of the long legs is not completely understood, but they may be analogous to long horns in dynastine scarabs or long mandibles in lucanids and are used for fighting rival males and securing feeding and breeding sites. They may also be used for securing the female during mating.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Strand, 1907) (greenbottle blue tarantula)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: AAA
Series: World of Insects
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Legspan 34.0 cm. Body length 13.0 cm for a scale of 2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our second look at Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens in the Museum. Today's figure has spurs on the first pair of legs, indicating it's a male. It took me a long time to figure out the origins of this figure, as it's not marked, but I have recently come across pics of it in an old AAA catalogue. I always speculated it was either produced by AAA or Toy Major. I purchased mine at a toy store in Tucson, Arizona in 1999 or so.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Venezuela (Paraguaná Peninsula)
Habitat: Xeric scrub; burrows usually constructed under shrubs and tree roots
Diet: Invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other New World theraphosids, C. cyaneopubescens does not have a very potent venom (at least to a human), but has another effective form of defense, the use of urticating hairs to irritate and discourage would-be predators.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Chrysochus auratus (Fabricius, 1775) (dogbane beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Insects
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 3.9 cm for a scale of 4.8:1-3.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous The Wing Mau Insects collection consists of 24 figures representing 23 species of beetles (there are two color variants of Adalia bipunctata). The figures have the Latin name printed on the underside. The figures seem to have been influenced by an Italian poster, Beetles, from 1992, as all the species are represented in that poster (including both variants of Adalia bipunctata) and have the same Latin names assigned to them (this poster hangs in my home office; I've had it since 1995). Figures in this set were also produced for Play Visions for their Habitat Earth line. Most of the species in this Wing Mau collection are unique, at least as sculpts.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America east of the Rocky Mountains
Habitat: Forests, fields, lakeshores, parks, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae feed on the roots of plants in the genus Apocynum (dogbane, Indian hemp); adults feed on the leaves of host plants.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: When feeding on dogbane, C. auratus acquires toxic cardenolides. A single amino acid substitution in their Na+/K+-ATPase allows them to tolerate the toxins themselves. When threatened by a would-be predator, C. auratus beetles can secrete the cardenolides as a defense mechanism.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Talpa europaea Linnaeus, 1758 (European mole; common mole; northern mole)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding tail) 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.4-1:3.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This appears to be the only representative of T. europaea still readily available in toy form. It is roughly the same size as Asian mole species produced by Kaiyodo (although they may scale differently).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe, western Siberia
Habitat: Deciduous woodland, arable fields, permanent pasture; habitats with suitable soil for burrowing
Diet: Invertebrates, particularly earthworms
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Talpa europaea spends most of its life in underground burrow systems. These burrows are used for feeding, food storage, mating, and sleeping. The European mole is usually a solitary animal except during the breeding season, but are generally aware of their neighbors. Permanent tunnel systems may contain multiple generations of moles, and they may build structured mounds (fortresses) that contain multiple nest chambers and tunnel systems.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dipodomys ingens (Merriam, 1904) (giant kangaroo rat)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Red Data Animals
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding tail) 4.5 cm; body length (including tail) 12.3 cm for a scale of 1:2.5-1:2.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Minimal assembly (hind legs, tail) required and the animal sits loosely on its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Endemic to California, USA (San Joaquin Valley, Carrizo Plain, Cuyama Valley)
Habitat: Desert scrub, arid grassland
Diet: Seeds, desert vegetation
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Because D. ingens lives in arid environments, it gets its water from food sources such as seeds and other vegetation; water is stored in the kidneys and urinary bladder. The giant kangaroo rat has extremely efficient kidneys and can concentrate urine to the highest degree known among North American mammals.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Opabinia regalis Walcott, 1912

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Royal Ontario Museum
Series: Animals of the Burgess Shale
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: Figure length 9.7 cm. Body length (excluding proboscis) 7.5 cm for a scale of 1.8:1-1:1.1 (slightly over 1:1 for a large specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This may have been the first figure of this species, preceding the Kaiyodo Dinotales figure by about a year. This is not a bad interpretation given it is 22 years old at the time of this writing. The claws at the end of the proboscis are oriented at a different angle than current concepts, but the number of lateral lobes, tail fan blades, and eyes are all correct. The body appears to be based on a 1975 construction by H. B. Whittington, but with the proper number and arrangement of eyes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Cambrian of present-day Canada (British Columbia)
Habitat: Marine, benthic
Diet: Presumably soft-bodied marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The phylogenetic position of O. regalis is far from resolved. Today it is generally believed to be a stem-arthropod, within Panarthropoda but outside of Euarthropoda, and a sister group to Radiodonta (Anomalocaris and kin).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) (red swamp crayfish; Louisiana crayfish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturers: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 8
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:2.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen P. clarkii in the Museum. I believe the red version was in the main set and the blue version was a secret/chase figure. Being original Choco Q Animatales figures, both require assembly.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South-central United States and adjacent Mexico; naturalized in other areas of North America, Hawaii, Europe, Africa, Asia, Japan
Habitat: Slow-moving rivers, freshwater lakes, swamps, marshes, reservoirs, irrigation canals and ditches, rice paddies
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles, small fish, fish eggs, carrion, plant material, detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: While P. clarkii has separate sexes, there is at least one study that suggests it may also be able to reproduce parthenogenetically, as indicated by the finding of four natural clones representing genetically identical individual crayfish.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cyanoramphus auriceps (Kuhl, 1820) (yellow-crowned parakeet; kākāriki)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Science and Nature
Series: New Zealand Wildlife Collection
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 8.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was marketed as a kākāriki, which can be one of three species in the genus Cyanoramphus; in this case, the morphology best fits C. auriceps.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: New Zealand
Habitat: Mixed Podocarpus/Nothofagus forest, usually in the upper canopies; occasionally tussock meadows
Diet: Primarily seeds; occasionally fruit, flowers, leaves, shoots, invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Cyanoramphus auriceps overlaps in distribution with a similar sibling species, the red-crowned parakeet, C. novaezelandiae. The two species have different habitat preferences however, with C. auriceps favoring tree canopies and C. novaezelandiae favoring forest edges, scrubland, and open areas.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Goliathus goliatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Goliath beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Furuta
Series: Chocoegg Funny Animals Series 2
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Body length (including cephalic horns) for a scale of 1:2-1:2.75 for a large male specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Chocoegg figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Equatorial Africa
Habitat: Tropical forest, savanna
Diet: Larvae feed in the trunks of trees, especially those in the families Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Combretaceae; adults feed on sap, fruit, and bark of Monosis conferta
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Goliathus goliatus is one of the largest insects, with regards to weight. Adults can weigh up to 80-100 grams!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Panthera uncia (Schreber, 1775) (snow leopard; ounce)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Figure approximately 11.0 cm across its widest dimensions. Scale difficult to calculate based on posture, but body length (exclusive of tail) approximately 8.5 cm for a scale of 1:11.8-1:15.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: A popular species among collectors, this is generally regarded as the best or one of the top snow leopard figures. I bought mine in late 2018; those who bought theirs when the figure was first released were treated with a much nicer paint job, although I think mine is still pretty decent (my pic doesn't show the dirty grey between the spots well). I have seen worse posted on the forums. Later releases of this model had much less detailed paint jobs. This was a good lesson for many, that if you think you might want a particular figure, get it when it first comes out when production quality is at its best!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Alpine and subalpine zones of Central and East Asia (Afghanistan, Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Siberia, Mongolia, western China)
Habitat: High cliffs, ridgelines, open coniferous woodlands, alpine meadows, scrubland, grassland
Diet: Primarily wild ungulates; also livestock, marmots, hares, pikas, voles, mice, other mammals and birds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Panthera uncia is solitary and extremely territorial. Even when territories overlap, individuals will try and maintain 1-2 kilometers distance from one another. They mark their territories with scrapes, feces, and pungent scent sprays, which tell other snow leopards their sex and reproductive status. Snow leopards will pair during the mating season; however, if a female cat still has a cub from her last mating, the male may try and kill it if it's not his.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ornithoptera croesus Wallace, 1859 (Wallace's golden birdwing)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.8 cm for a scale of 1:2
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). 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.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indonesia (Maluka Islands)
Habitat: Mangroves, swamps
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genera Aristolochia and Pararistolochia; adults take nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many Ornithoptera species, P. croesus is sexually dimorphic. Males (shown here in today's figure) have wingspans of 13-15 cm and have dark brown forewings with a narrow golden-yellow costal band; the hindwings are golden-yellow with a row of brown spots of variable size and number. Females are larger (16-19 cm wingspan) and are black with yellow chevrons of varying size.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Isostichopus fuscus (Ludwig, 1875) (brown sea cucumber)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: Animals with Super Powers
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Body length 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:4.2-1:7.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Despite the similarities, this is not an identical sculpt to the golden sandfish (Holothuria scabra) released by Yowie Group in 2019 in the Wild Water Series collection.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Pacific, from Mexico to Peru, including Galápagos Islands
Habitat: Benthic, coral reefs; at depths of 0-61 meters
Diet: Deposit feeder of seaweed
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other echinoderms, I. fuscus is capable of regeneration. Isostichopus fuscus defends itself by expelling its viscera, which will regenerate in about 2-3 weeks.

[Gwangi]

I really wish we would get some news about the next wave of Yowie figures. It's been Animals with Superpowers for over a year now.