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

[sbell]

I missed out on one of those about 2 or 3 years ago and I kick myself for it! I had another interesting model pass through my hands recently (acting as a middle man for a friend in Europe). No info on it but its gotta be a figure for a hunting set or something similar; easily the best model of one I have ever seen!

This species has been spotted a few times in my state recently up around Portland Oregon of all places!

We had one in a nearby neighborhood several years ago. That was really unusual

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Prairie dogs, Virginia opossum, and a Norwegian lemming.





I have chosen to talk about the only marsupial found in North America. The opossum, belonging to this unique evolutionary family, has LOTS of weird traits. Their prehensile tail is used for all sorts of activities including wrapping around material to bring back to make a nest with; the male has a bifurcated penis and females have a matched set of reproductive organs (babies are born very small, and like all other marsupials have to crawl their way into the

pouch to finish developing). I could go on and on because these guys are so odd but I digress...

[bmathison1972]

I was curious what the justification of 'Norwegian Lemming' is. I databased mine as the Greenland lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus).

Interesting, I just went to Amazon to see if Toymany specified (they didn't) and Toymany has repainted the lemming (https://www.amazon.com/Toymany-14-Piece-Arctic-Animal-Set/dp/B0B8R2MZ19/ref=asc_df_B0B8R2MZ19/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=647289251416&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7150804720700093322&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029760&hvtargid=pla-1958524109991&mcid=885e144cc8c7360bb263708d1b4ac276&th=1).

the color can still go either way for Norwegian or Greenland, however.

[EpicRaptorMan]

I was lucky to get the safari LTD Opossum for a very good price. It is a bit big for my liking, but a friend of mine is getting a 3D printer in January. So I might see about doing custom prints of it at a smaller scale

[Saarlooswolfhound]

@bmathison1972, I just think the coloration matches better. I am curious of the reworked paintjob now though.

@EpicRaptorMan, if you do get that done I hope to see your projects here!

Badgers!



American badgers live relarively short lives of about 5 years, but one wild badger made it 14! These guys, unsurprisingly given their body plan, dig for most of their food. Look up what their humerus looks like! Absolutely designed for massive digging ability. I have had the pleasure if running into a wild badger as well as handling skeletal remains in school. They are amazing animals!

[bmathison1972]

I saw my first American badger last year while birding in my local canyon here in Utah. Interesting, it wasn't the typical habitat, but I was heading to a creek.

[Gwangi]

I like American badgers but since I live on the east coast I have not had the pleasure of seeing a wild one yet, though I do have a badger pelt on my wall. I really need to prioritize getting the Safari figure.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

The one I met was a true badger in all its glory. About 15 years ago my family was four-wheeling through the backcountry of Northeastern Idaho. It made a borrow not 5 feet off the trail. It shot out of that burrow like lightning and had ZERO fear of a caravan of 5 vehicles and some 10 people on them. It was a sight to see and a good fright to hear its snarls over the engines! Only other scare like that that even compares is a similar experience when a pyrenees dog came at me for driving through his flock of sheep (he was a good boy doing his job but boy was he scary!).

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Eurasian beaver!



As you may imagine, grooming is highly important to these animals in order to stay waterproof; they must oil their fur several times a day to achieve this.  They also have a set of transparent eyelids they can use to help them see underwater!

[Gwangi]

I'm not in love with any of the beaver figures available but I like Mojo's the best. I feel like it has the best posture and proportions.

Beavers are a favorite animal of mine. In my teenage years I lived next to an active beaver pond and would visit it frequently with my VHS camcorder in an attempt to film wildlife. That place was a wildlife oasis. Aside from regularly seeing the beavers there were also muskrat, coyotes, whitetail deer, various amphibians and reptiles, countless birds. Breeding pairs of wood ducks and mergansers, herons, birds of prey, cedar waxwings, pileated woodpeckers. The list goes on. This was when I started my bird watching hobby and I got a lot of lifers at that pond. It's also the only place I've ever seen a wild bobcat. To sum it all up, beavers are remarkable ecosystem engineers. That diverse habitat existed solely because of them. 

[bmathison1972]

Mojo is my Eurasian beaver (and Safari is my American).

I don't think I've seen a living beaver, but I've seen their work on trees (including in Europe!).

[Saarlooswolfhound]

That would have been amazing to grow up near a beaver pond! I just finished a great book about these guys and their history in the US.

Sorry about the delay for Friday uploads, work has been crazy and our Friday holiday hours interfere with my usual upload time.

Common Hedgehogs!



These guys have between 5,000 and 7,000 spikes on their body! Each spike lasts about a year before falling out and being replaced just like any other type of hair. Their little legs also can walk far! Up to 2 miles in search of food! 

[Saarlooswolfhound]

North American Beaver!





These guys are responsible for the largest non man-made structure- it can be seen from satellite images! There is a dam nearly 800 meters long located in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada.

[bmathison1972]

Hmmm...what's the standing one in the upper left? To the left of the Safari NAW figure?

EDIT: I see it's from Papo. Papo generally focuses on local wildlife; what's the justification that it is North American and not Eurasian? Did they market it as such?

EDIT EDIT: Chatting with Kikimalou in STS he said it was because the skeletal structure makes it more likely that N.A. beavers stand (and walk) more upright on their hind legs. Interesting. I like this beaver much more than Safari's, I must say.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

For my collection standards, I don't usually focus on identifying down to the species level unless there are clear indicators to support it (these are toys after all, and I feel that many brands don't focus on these species details overmuch). Anyhow, for the purpose of my cataloging them I usually follow TAW's classification, especially when dealimg with groups I know less about (i.e. wolves vs beavers) so that if needed I can find the page again. My presentation here has started a discussion over on STS, so it would seem the beavers pages are gonna get shaken up.

[EpicRaptorMan]

So the Pevensies went into the wardrobe while living in England and came across NA beavers instead of Eurasian ones.

That's the last straw. I am beginning to think that this whole book is a fantasy.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Ha! I always thought it was odd those beavers ate fish too... they got confused with otters!

[EpicRaptorMan]

Ha! I always thought it was odd those beavers ate fish too... they got confused with otters!

Yes it was fish n chips I believe. Contrary to popular belief but chips are a very common diet for wild beavers. But CS Lewis took it too far with the fish.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

European rabbits!





This is the ancestor for all domestic rabbit breeds. If need warrants it, these guys can survive over a week without food! Pretty tough little critters if you ask me. Unfortunately, these coneys (as they are also called), have been introduced to every continent but Antarctica and have become invasive species in many locales.

[Gwangi]

What's the one in the back looking leftward? Papo?