The Curious Compendium 2023-2024: Shih-tzu, maltese, pekingese!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

There's all sorts of antelope on ranches in Texas. Would be fun to drive by the "serengeti".

African monkeys!



For this fact check I chose the colobus monkey. Very interesting lil guys! Their babies are born pure white. Their name comes from a Greek word for "mutilated"; this refers to the fact they don't have thumbs! This digit has regressed to the point of barely being visibly, this is likely because their diet consists of leaves and not fruit (therefore they don't need to be as dextrous as their frugivore cousins). Lastly, they have been known to munch on clay rich soils! This is thought to aid in digestion and absorption of toxins in their leafy diet.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Mixed antelope from now on: Nyala, impala, and gerenuk.



Fun facts for gerenuks! They are the sole species of the Litocranius genus. They perform their upright feeding behavior with help from their specially adapted spine. Those dark spots by their eyes? These are glands that secrete a tarry substance used for scent marking; many antelope species have something similar.

[EpicRaptorMan]

Surprise not to see the Hirola here.

 Although I would love for one day, preferably CollectA, to make a gerenuk figure. However, I'm not sure what pose I'd be satisfied with. I'd love to see an erect feeding position, but that might be kind of hard to do and might look a bit odd if there's no foliage for the figure to feed upon. And this is one of the few antelope species I would actually prefer to be represent a female.

Perhaps, a 2-in-1 figure, with a male on all fours and a female browsing above.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

 I have the hirola, its in another mixed group photo for later.

[EpicRaptorMan]

Ah I see I see

[Saarlooswolfhound]

African buffalo!



Fun facts: there are 5 subspecies; Cape, Congo, Sudan, Nile, and Virunga buffalo. Statistics show that these animals kill 200 humans a year in conflicts. Females are usually around 1,000 lbs while males can grow to be nearly a ton!

[bmathison1972]

I have the Safari version, but the newer release that doesn't have the birds on its back. I like the birds, but they are not accurately painted for oxpeckers, the birds that typically display this behavior.

[EpicRaptorMan]

I have the older Schleich one on the bottom left. I like it. But really it's just a knockoff that I own. The baby buffalo as well.

I believe it was my first knockoff I bought which before I was very against.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Huzzah! I am back... my first bout of Covid took me out for a week. I apologize for the delay. Let's get back to it!

More mixed antelope!



For the striped duiker: they have the biggest brains proportional to body size of any antelope! The word "duiker" is a local African word for "diver"; referencing their uncanny ability to dive into foliage to escape predators.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Pangolins and hedgehogs!



Giant pangolins can gobble up 70 MILLION insects each year! They have no teeth to chew, so they eat sand and small stones to grind the food in their stomach. They also do not have external ears but can hear well.

[Gwangi]

The Schleich pangolin was one of my "spark" figures that got me into collecting extant animals.

I'm surprised that you don't have the CollectA hedgehog.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

That pangolin is still a fantastic model. One of the few truly great models from them the last few years!

I have other hedgehogs that will be presented with my North American and European mammal category soon. But I do not have the CollectA, and you aren't the first person to mention that. May I ask why it appeals to you? It has never really caught my eye...

[Gwangi]

That pangolin is still a fantastic model. One of the few truly great models from them the last few years!

I have other hedgehogs that will be presented with my North American and European mammal category soon. But I do not have the CollectA, and you aren't the first person to mention that. May I ask why it appeals to you? It has never really caught my eye...

Yeah, I guess you did specify African hedgehogs in the title. Hopefully you're not including hedgehogs with North American animals, there are no NA hedgehogs. Even still, they're frequently featured in children's books and shows alongside North American animals. I hate it. lol

I like the CollectA one mostly because it has individually sculpted spines. They aren't just etched into the body like some of the others I've seen. Adds some depth to it and gives it an appealing texture. I also think it's cute. I reviewed it last year for the blog.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Thanks for the reply Gwangi. I will explain more when I get to the category but my N. Am. and European mammals are presented together. I waffle between calling them the phrase as it is above or "Temperate Mammals". But essentially, they"re all the woodsy animals.

Anywho... my last antelope group! Another mixed one (topi, waterbuck, eland).



Fun facts: Waterbuck get their name from their affinity to it. They are always found near a water source and use it often to evade predators. They also have an oily secretion in their skin that makes their fur waterproof! And it does not smell nice. 

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Alrighty! There is only about a week's worth left of photos and then Africa is wrapped up. (I know, it took forever...)

Mixed group of smaller fellas.



Fun facts for naked mole rats! For these guys, a quarter of the muscle mass is located in their jaws! They can live to be 30+ years old (an anomaly amongst their relatives). Similarly to insects, they have partitioned "jobs" like soldier, burrower, or forager. Soldier rats have been known to fend off predators like snakes til the death!

[BlueKrono]

Mongooses?

...

Mongeese?

[Saarlooswolfhound]

THAT is the question! And coincidentally... both are correct. Dangit, I should've done THAT for the fun fact!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Okapi!



These guys ONLY live in one country in the wild, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their tongue is long enough to clean both their eyes and ears (I find the photos of this action a bit disconcerting!). Lastly, they seem to have an appetite for bat guano... it is uncertain why, but the working theory is that it operates similarly to animals who eat clay (which they also do).

[NSD Bashe]

nice, I have the Safari one with the tongue sticking out 

[EpicRaptorMan]

I have the older Schleich one and the CollectA adult. The latter of which wins out of these.