The Curious Compendium 2023: Donkeys!

[NSD Bashe]

I have a really odd "snow leopard" figure by Chap Mei, it's very clearly designed to resemble a caracal but painted as a snow leopard instead...

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Oh yes, the infamous lynx and snow leopard of Chap Mei... since you mention it... what does everyone think of this?

Chap Mei Lynx

Chap Mei snow leopard

I learned about a species cat, called a jungle cat (reed cat, swamp cat, jungle lynx) in Asia. From where I stand, this might be a better ID for personal collections as the main characteristic that doesn't fit (IMO) is that the tail is too long. Its got the long legs, ear tassles (more noticeable in some real animals than others of the species), and the pattern could be acceptable. What do you all think? Its a loose fitting species ID, but to me it suits it well enough.

P.S. I am not asking to change TAW's ID or anything. They were marketed as a lynx and snow leopard respectively. It just has always bothered me that the 2 versions of this model have been chalked up to being "mystery" or "fantasy" cats all this time.

[bmathison1972]

Oh yes, the infamous lynx and snow leopard of Chap Mei... since you mention it... what does everyone think of this?

Chap Mei Lynx

Chap Mei snow leopard

interestingly neither look like either 

BTW, the recent Schleich snow leopard (far right) - never realized how BIG it is. I never really like it and had no intention of getting it, but it looks huge next to Papo

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I would say the Schleich, Papo, and CollectA are roughly the same size... but I admit that I am not concerned at all with scale or sizing.

I think everyone can agree that the Chap Meis are not representative of the species they are marketed as. I guess my question be better posed as, do you think a Jungle Cat was the target or concept species?

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Next! Amur leopard, Asian golden cat, Pallas's cat, Tsushima leopard cat.



Fun fact! The German Zoologist who named this cat in 1776, Peter Pallas, incorrectly assumed that Pallas's cats were the ancestor of modern domestic Persian cats

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Clouded leopard.



facts: They have many special anatomical features
"Tree tigers"  can hang from branches with their hind feet, and are the other cat alongside the margay that have flexible ankles to climb head first down trees, and they have the largest canine to body size ratio of any cat! They have an extra wide gape too, to accomodate for such.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Next, my Tibetan blue bears and sloth bears!



Fact: Tibetan blue bears are the rarest subspecies of bear today. Unfortunately, due to lack of information, we don't have population estimates for conservation status... but we know that they are very rare and rather reclusive and shy.

[bmathison1972]

I assume you customized the two Tibetan blue bears? What was the source material?

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Yes, they are customs.

Schleich female adult
and the paired cub

These two were thrift finds and in bad shape. When I first customized them years ago as a teenager they turned out awful... I redid them about a year, maybe two now, ago and they worked out much better in my opinion.

For anyone with an STS account, you can see my original photos and posts on these here.

[bmathison1972]

well, they look great

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Thank you Blaine.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Asiatic black bears!



fact: these bears often break off smaller branches and lace them in a nest like structure to make a platform that will support their weight while feeding on fruiting trees. They then leave these large structures behind (sometimes to be used again, or other animals may inhabit them), and popular trees to feed on will have multiple large nests!

[EpicRaptorMan]

There was someone here awhile ago making sculpts of Spectacled Bears...I think they vanished though.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Aaaaand after the moon bears... we have the sun bears!



This is a fun story instead... I heard of a captive bear who saw sugar be placed in a cabinet and locked. The bear during a training session, unprompted, was able to open the cabinet with its claw before attending to the task at hand and the trainer! They are indeed supposed to be the smartest of bear species, though to my understanding I know of no comparative tests or parameters for this.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Red pandas!



After years of having the baby, I waz thrilled to add the K&M adult to my group a few months ago.

Because of their primitive "thumb" structure on their front paws (a convergently evolved trait that unrelated giant pandas also have, both species use for handling bamboo), red pandas are considered to have 6 digits on their front paws!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

And now, my customized Onagers and Kiangs. Someday there will be foals to add here.



A trait for the whole wild ass/donkey family is that they actually are quite intelligent. They don't spook and flee as easily as easily as their horse cousins. They have been known to wait and assess the danger before making a decision for fight or flight (I noticed this with my own experience with wild burros). This gives them a unique ability for decision making (rather than preferring safety outright, they may gain benefits from not being as fearful as their relatives). They also can remember areas, events, and conspecifics for up to 25 years!

[EpicRaptorMan]

I have been debating for a while on whether or not I wanted to get the SafarLtd moon bear. I think it's a bit large for my liking.

I also have the Mojo sun bear. Not my favorite sun bear but the one that was available.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Asian elephants are next!



Some odd facts I found: Asian elephants only sleep for aboyt 2 hours a day! And when fed certain foods, like bananas or corn, they take the peel/husk off before eating the interior!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Striped hyenas!



I learned lots of fun things about these guys in my search for a fun fact... here are a few. They are the national animal of Lebanon! The purpose of their long fringe of dorsal hair is so that they can "raise their hackles" and make themselves look up to 30% larger! And lastly, in the region of North India, they have legends of witches and magicians using these animals as mounts and riding around on them at night to raise mischief. Sounds like a wild night to me!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Dromedary camels are next.



Some fun facts: camels humps are full of fat not water, when their bodies have to use those fat stores the fat gets metabolized into calories and water for the body to use. They can live 6 months on these stores without eating or drinking. They don't sweat until the temperature reaches 106 degrees fahreheit.