Mathison Museum of Natural History

Presumably, they have their name because they are excellent jumpers? Though most spiders can jump well, I believe.

Beautiful species and model!

rogerpgvg wrote:

Presumably, they have their name because they are excellent jumpers? Though most spiders can jump well, I believe.

Yes Roger; members of the family Salticidae are 'jumping spiders'


Next up:


Species: Brachypelma smithi (Pickard-Cambridge, 1897)
Common name(s): Mexican red-kneed tarantula; Smith's red-kneed tarantula

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Mojö Fun
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Legspan approx. 7.5 cm. Body length (excluding appendages) approx. 4.3 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:1.4 for a female specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the sixth time we've seen B. smithi in the Museum (and the second time in less than two weeks). Today's figure represents Mojö Fun's first attempt at an arthropod; it would be followed up in 2020 with an emperor scorpion. Sadly, for a collector like myself, they haven't made one since.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Mexico; endemic to the southside of the Balsas River Basin in Guerrero
Habitat: Tropical deciduous forests, thornscrub, semi-deserts
Diet: Primarily insects and other arthropods; occasionally small reptiles, amphibians, birds, rodents.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: While the toxin from the bite of B. smithi is relatively mild (for a human), the spider also produces urticating setae (hairs) that it can 'kick' from its abdomen at a would-be predator or aggressor. These hairs can cause a painful sting when they come in contact with skin, eyes, or mucus membranes.

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so better to avoid any contact! with the speciexs but not with the figurine!

Species: Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): common dolphin; short-beaked common dolphin; long-beaked common dolphin

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Dolphins TOOB
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Body length 8.7 cm for a scale of 1:18-1:30
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. marketed this figure as a long-beaked dolphin, which is now considered an ecotype of the common dolphin (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Black Sea, Gulf of Mexico
Habitat: Pelagic; at depths of 0-8,000 meters
Diet: Small fish, cephalopods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Historically, long-beaked and short-beaked common dolphins were considered separate species, Delphinus capensis and D. delphis, respectively. Genetic studies demonstrated that populations of 'long-beaked' dolphins around the world are not closely related to one another and are probably all derived from a short-beaked ancestor. The common dolphin is currently divided into four subspecies: D. d. delphis, D. d. bairdii (Eastern North Pacific long-beaked common dolphin), D. d. ponticus (Black Sea common dolphin), and D. d. tropicalis (Indo-Pacific or Arabian common dolphin). The Indo-Pacific subspecies is often given full species rank, but most authorities consider it a subspecies of D. delphis.

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Nice again

Species: Sepia apama Gray, 1849
Common name(s): giant cuttlefish; Australian giant cuttlefish

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: Wild Water Series
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Total figure length approximately 4.5 cm. Using mantle length as a metric (n=3.2 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:12.5-1:15.6 for a larger specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: It's interesting one of the smallest cuttlefish figures represents the largest species! Although sometimes, being small has its advantages (see below). Cadbury also made this species for the original Australian Yowies series.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern Coastal Australia
Habitat: Shallow coral reefs, rocky reefs, kelp forests, seagrass meadows, muddy and sandy areas; at depths of 2-100 meters
Diet: Small fish, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Sepia apama lives for only 1-2 years, and death occurs shortly after mating and egg laying. Females are polyandrous and tend to prefer larger, more aggressive males. However, smaller males can mimic females, sneak around the larger male, and inseminate the female before the larger male has an opportunity to!

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A interesting cuttlefish

Species: †Edaphosaurus pogonias Cope, 1882

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Prehistoric Life
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 21.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.4-1:16.7 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: CollectA did not market this figure at the species level, and the identification is mine as I tend to go with the type species, unless there is other evidence to the contrary. The sails of different Edaphosaurus species vary in their height, the curvature of the spines, and the shape of the crossbars, and the more gradual sloping of the sail from the head also seems to support E. pogonias. The scale above is calculated based on the genus, as I had trouble finding metrics specifically for E. pogonias. For E. pogonias specifically, I wouldn't be surprised if it scaled in the 1:15-1:16 range.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early Permian of southwestern North America
Habitat: Swamp forests
Diet: Terrestrial plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The function of Edaphosaurus' sail is still a matter of debate; it was not an uncommon morphologic feature among other Permian animals, including Dimetrodon, Secodontosaurus, and the amphibian Platyhystrix. Possible functions include camouflage, wind-powered sailing over water, anchoring for extra muscle support and rigidity for the backbone, protection against would-be predators, fat-storage, body-temperature control, and sexual display and species recognition.

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Species: Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829)
Common name(s): olive ridley sea turtle; Pacific ridley sea turtle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Primary Turtles in Colour
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Carapace length approximately 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:17.7-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was first produced by Yujin in 2002 before Takara acquired the 'Primary Colour' line. The turtle is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Circumtropical
Habitat: Benthopelagic; at depths of 0-200 meters. Nesting occurs on sandy beaches.
Diet: Marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other sea turtles, L. olivacea returns to sandy beaches to lay its eggs. Mass nesting events are called arribadas. Lepidochelys olivacea has nesting sites throughout its range, but Gahirmatha Beach in Odisha, India is the largest known breeding ground for this species. The beach is now part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife and Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuaries to help protect the turtles.

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Like others from this series - beautiful model.

Species: Jumnos ruckeri Saunders, 1839

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Insects
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 4.3 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (possibly unique as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: 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). Some figures in this set were also produced for Play Visions for their Habitat Earth line (including today's). Most of the species in this Wing Mau collection are unique, at least as sculpts, although many get copied and bootlegged. Today's model is often sold in generic insect and beetle sets, often with unnatural colors.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia (India to Myanmar, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia)
Habitat: Tropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood, humus, detritus; adults feed on ripe fruit and sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Jumnos ruckeri exhibits marked sexual dimorphism whereby males have more elongated front femora and tarsi.

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Species: Dama dama (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): fallow deer; European fallow deer

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Height at shoulders approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:14.2-1:16.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Very few figures of D. dama are still available, with other modern standard-sized figures being produced by AAA, Bullyland (2012), New-Ray (2008), ELC, and Nayab.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Asia Minor and the Mediterranean Basin; introduced to many locations around the world (see below)
Habitat: Primarily deciduous woodlands; also mixed forests, subalpine forests, grasslands, scrubland, savanna
Diet: Vegetation, including grasses, low-growing shrubs, herbs, buds, shoots, bark
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Prior to the last glaciation, the distribution of D. dama included most of Europe, but towards the end of the Pleistocene its range was limited to parts of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean Basin. It has been introduced to at least 38 countries around the world for game, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Peru, Morocco, Réunion, São Tomé, the Seychelles, South Africa, the Comoros, the Falkland Islands, Israel, Lebanon, Great Britain, Ireland, and most of continental Europe. Most of the introductions in Europe occurred prior to 1900.

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Species: Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti (Jordan, 1894)
Common name(s): Kern River golden trout; Kern River rainbow trout

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Replica Toy Fish
Series: 3 Inch Collection
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.9 cm for a scale of 1:3.2-1:9
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare (unique as a subspecies)
Miscellaneous Notes: RTF also made the nominate subspecies, the Kamchatkan rainbow trout (O. m. mykiss), for the 3 Inch Collection. I do not have it to know whether or not it uses the same sculpt, but images online seem to show two unique sculpts.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Kern River System in Tulare County, California
Habitat: Clear, cold, clean mountain streams
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, fish, fish eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (as a subspecies); NatureServe status is Critically Impaired
Miscellaneous Notes: The Kern River golden trout is endemic to the Kern River and its tributaries, although it's current range is drastically reduced from what it used to be. Remnant populations live in the Kern River above Durrwood creek, in upper Ninemile, Rattlesnake and Osa Creeks, and possibly in upper Peppermint Creek. It belongs to a complex of three subspecies often referred to as the 'golden trout complex'. The other two subspecies are the golden trout (O. m. aguabonita) and the Little Kern golden trout (O. m. whitei). The golden trout is endemic to the southern Sierra Nevada, including the upper reach and tributaries of the South Fork of the Kern River, and Golden Trout Creek and its tributaries. The Little Kern golden trout is endemic to the main stem and tributaries of the Little Kern River.

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Species: Myrmecobius fasciatus Waterhouse, 1836
Common name(s): numbat; noombat; walpurti

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: Rescue Series
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length (exclusive of tail) approximately 4.3 cm for a scale of 1:4.1-1:6.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This species actually came up by random selection about a week ago, albeit with the Science and Nature figure. However, in preparing the review I realized what a horrible paint job my particular S&N model had (for example, completely lacking streaks over the eyes). I ordered this Yowie version on eBay to compare the two. In-hand, I much prefer the Yowie, both by sculpt and paint. Interestingly, however, the two figure scale very similarly to one another.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia; fragmented sites in Western Australia (Dryanda Woodland, Perup Nature Preserve, Mount Gibson Sanctuary), South Australia (Yookamurra Sanctuary), and New South Wales (Scotia Sanctuary)
Habitat: Eucalypt forest, semi-arid and arid woodlands, spinifex grassland
Diet: Termites
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Myrmecobius fasciatus is a specialized predator of termites. It does not intentionally eat ants, and while ants have been found in their feces, it is believed the ants are predators of the termites that get accidentally eaten along with the termites. An adult numbat requires on average 200,000 termites a day to sustain itself!

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Species: Equus ferus caballus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): Clydesdale

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Horse Country
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Height at withers (shoulders) approximately 10.0 cm for a scale of 1:16.7-1:18.3
Frequency of breed in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: The Clydesdale is no stranger to CollectA. The first sculpt from 2007-2013 was used for a Grullo Sabino and a Dapple Grey. Today's sculpt was introduced in 2013 as a Bay (as seen here) and Black Sabino Roan. It was reissued in 2023 as a Black Sabino. CollectA also produced a foal in Bay and Black Sabino Roan alongside today's stallion and produced a Bay mare from 2010-2014. The foal was also repainted in 2023 as a Black Sabino alongside the updated stallion.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: The breed originated in Scotland (Lanarkshire) and is now bred throughout much of the world.
Habitat: Farmland, meadows, fields, pastures
Diet: Grasses and hays
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated
Miscellaneous Notes: The Clydesdale originated in Lanarkshire, Scotland along the River Clyde (hence the name) in the mid-1700s. The breed was created from a combination of native mares with Friesian and Flemish stallions. The breed's registry goes back to the 1830s. The Clydesdale Horse Society of Scotland was formed in 1877. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the breed was exported to other countries in the British Empire as well as North and South America, continental Europe, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand. Breeding in Australia and New Zealand was very successful and the Clydesdale was called 'the breed that built Australia'. The Clydesdale was originally bred as a draught animal, and was used for agriculture, hauling coal, and other heavy hauling. Today, they are still commonly used for draught purposes, including agriculture, logging, and, most importantly, transporting beer (I know, I know, they technically don't deliver the beer, but rather are used in parades and commercials for advertising Anheuser-Busch's beer). They are also popular riding and show animals.

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Great breed to have for your synoptic collection. Do you have many horse breeds?

rogerpgvg wrote:

Great breed to have for your synoptic collection. Do you have many horse breeds?

Hi Roger!
I started with a Mojo Thoroughbred as to me it is the 'quintessential' horse. But I have expanded a little, mostly to ancient and feral breeds (Brumby, Mongolian, Mustang, etc.). This Clydesdale is somewhat of an exception, but it's such a lovely model and an iconic breed. I could see myself getting more of the older draught breeds.

Species: Dryophytes cinereus (Schneider, 1799)
Common name(s): American green tree frog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Incredible Creatures - Tree Frogs
Year of Production: 1997
Size/Scale: Legspan 9.0 cm. Snout-to-vent length approximately 6.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This sculpt was also used for the spotted chorus frog (Pseudoacris clarkii) in the same set.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeastern and Eastern United States in the Atlantic Plain
Habitat: Canopy forest, ponds, lakes, marshes, streams, water lily prairies; also parks and yards with plentiful vegetation and a reliable water source
Diet: Insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Males of D. cinereus are very territorial and will defend their calling sites against rivals using aggressive interactions. Initially, they use a combination of aggressive call signals, but if that fails, males will wrestle one another for dominance.

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Species: †Miragaia longicollum Mateus et al., 2009

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: PNSO
Series: Prehistoric Animal Models
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 22.0 cm for a scale of 1:27.3-1:30
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure took a radical turn from past reconstructions of Miragaia and appears to be based on upcoming works related to The Miragaia Project (which I cannot really follow as I am not on social media). I searched, but to the best of my knowledge, this reconstruction hasn't appeared in a peer-reviewed format yet. If anyone has updates, I'd be interested to hear!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Jurassic (Tithonian) of present-day Europe
Habitat: Open woodlands and adjacent riparian areas, coastal plains
Diet: Plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: One of the most interesting features of Miragaia among stegosaurs is its elongated neck, which consists of at least 17 vertebrae. Paleontologists speculate the long neck is the result of back vertebrae becoming incorporated into the neck. Among stegosaurs, the number of presacral vertebrae seems fairly conserved, but with Miragaia and related, there appears to be a clear transformation of dorsal vertebrae in the back becoming 'cervacalized' into cervical (neck) vertebrae.

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