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

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Here are some closeups of the chinamal model with the Safari gila.


You can see the scales here

[sbell]

Here are some closeups of the chinamal model with the Safari gila.


You can see the scales here

The funniest part is that those are both Safari Gila monsters!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Are they? Its only stamped china.

[sbell]

Are they? Its only stamped china.

Yeah, it's really, really early on. Most of the earliest toobs didn't have marked figures. And weren't as good.

And yet many of them are still around, long after some great toobs were discontinued

[JimoAi]

As @Shane mentioned in the past, they're still in production due to them being popular with children iirc

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Huh, I never would have recognized that model. I rather like the chameleon and the gecko like model. Thanks for the ID!

[Shane]

I believe the sculpt is meant to represent a beaded lizard. I can't speak to the color though.

As sbell mentioned, earlier TOOBs did not have individually inscribed figures, so it's just inscribed with the country of manufacture.

[bmathison1972]

yeah it's currently on Safari's site as a 'bearded lizard' so a couple species to choose from 

[Isidro]

so a couple species to choose from 

I guess "beaded lizard" means just Heloderma horridum, otherwise it would be marketed as "Gila monster" instead "beaded lizard

[Saarlooswolfhound]

This is all good info, thank you everyone!

More mixed lizards!



Blue-tongued skinks belong to one of the largest reptile families!  They spend a lot of time in burrows and are known to displace native burrowing spider species for such accomodations. Theu have even been known to share such spaces with roommates of the same species; something rather uncommon for most reptiles.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Last of my mixed lizards.


Green anoles are native to the southeastern states. Sadly, brown anoles from the Caribbean are slowly encroaching and outcompeting them there. I have had two of the former (at different times) in my life, green anoles are great pets IMO.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Tuataras!


Tuatara is a Maori word for "back with peaks", referring to its dorsal spines. It is believed that they can live as long ad 100 years in the wild! While they can regrow their tail, their teeth are not separate structures and once lost cannot be replaced. They have a double upper row of teeth with a single row of lower teeth that fit between the upper rows when their mouth is closed.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

And now we move to snakes. Pythons!


Burmese pythons are another vulnerable species because of of the pet trade. Hopefully, captive breeding and captive color morphs might begin to slow down the collection of wild specimens. They are some of the largest snakes, the largest growing to be 400lbs!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Boas!

Some of you might have heard that there is now a newly recognized species of anaconda! I can't wait to learn more about it! The largest specimen the team who discovered them encountered was 20.7ft or 6.3 meters.

Cobras!


The monocled cobra has some of the fastest acting snake venoms in the world! The potency varies depending on where the snake is native to, but it can eliminate a living person within an hour of envenomation. The neurotoxins attack the nervous system causing drowsiness, neurological issues and muscle damage.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I am taking a short hiatus for this week, I need to finish packing in the next few days and then actually undertake the move. BUT I will be back for next Monday! (If everything goes to plan that is...) I hope you all have a great week and for those who celebrate; Happy Easter!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I'm back! Last week was a loooong week...

Coral snakes!


These guys are actually incredibly venomous; it acts as a neurotoxin and is incredibly painful if you are bitten (they can kill adult humans!). However, they are generally considered much less dangerous than other venomous snakes because their teeth are so small that they have to "chew" the venom into the prey item's tissue to be effective. I love these snakes and have gotten a fair number of models of them!

[bmathison1972]

I got to see an Arizona coral snake once in the wild. I was swimming in one of the big reservoirs outside of Phoenix (can't remember which one without looking at a map, maybe Bartlett Lake) and there was one in the water! I big monsoon storm had just swept through, and I assume it got swept into the water and was making its way back to land.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

That's amazing! I have never seen one in person but would like to.

As a kid, me and some of my older sisters were on a nature trail behind our house and  my oldest sister with me that day used a stick to pull up a tangled pile of bramble on the trail. There was, what I thought at the time, a coral snake hiding there; scared us all with its bright coloration underneath the bracken (the shock of seeing it really). As I got older and learned more I realized it was a harmless California mountain kingsnake! Nothing to be afraid of, and if anything, probably a welcome species in the area to rid it of venomous species on such a popular semi-urban trail.

[sbell]

I'm back! Last week was a loooong week...

Coral snakes!

These guys are actually incredibly venomous; it acts as a neurotoxin and is incredibly painful if you are bitten (they can kill adult humans!). However, they are generally considered much less dangerous than other venomous snakes because their teeth are so small that they have to "chew" the venom into the prey item's tissue to be effective. I love these snakes and have gotten a fair number of models of them!

But do you have any weird Asian species!?

https://animaltoyforum.com/blog/blue-malaysian-coral-snake-animal-kaiser-by-bandai/

[EpicRaptorMan]

I'm back! Last week was a loooong week...

Coral snakes!

These guys are actually incredibly venomous; it acts as a neurotoxin and is incredibly painful if you are bitten (they can kill adult humans!). However, they are generally considered much less dangerous than other venomous snakes because their teeth are so small that they have to "chew" the venom into the prey item's tissue to be effective. I love these snakes and have gotten a fair number of models of them!

But do you have any weird Asian species!?

https://animaltoyforum.com/blog/blue-malaysian-coral-snake-animal-kaiser-by-bandai/

With how bad the paint is on that one I don't think I would want it xD