Mathison Museum of Natural History

It's a day of sharks! :)

beautiful piece!

It really is wonderful- and to think that all these models are in your collection- it must be an amazing animal paradise!

Thank you for the interesting discussion about the manta ray :)

Species: Bathynomus giganteus Milne-Edwards, 1879 (giant deep-sea isopod)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: unknown
Series: unknown
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 25.0 cm, within scale of 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon (becoming more common)
Miscellaneous Notes: I know nothing about this figure, who made it, when it was originally released, etc. It is life-sized and made of hollow vinyl. In 2014, Kitan Club released a life-sized model in their Nature Techni Colour line. At first I did not get it, because of the size and cost. Well, within a year or so I thought about acquiring it, but it had already retired and was going for exorbitant amounts on eBay ($300 USD or more). I ended up buying this figure instead on YAJ through brettnj's contacts to have a life-sized B. giganteus model. In 2018, after Ikimon took over they NTC line, they re-released the giant isopod and I bought it quickly while it was still 'cheap' (back down to roughly $80 USD or so). I retained this 'unknown' figure in my collection, and so I now have two life-sized models of this species (BTW, the life-sized Ikimon figure has already been reviewed on this daily thread, back on December 5). Interestingly, I went to eBay again as I prepared the text for today's post and now even the Ikimon models are $300+ USD again. I am glad I bought it when I did. If you want a life-sized B. giganteus, this figure might be your cheapest option, but unfortunately since I know so little about it, it might be hard to find.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Atlantic Ocean, from the southeastern USA to northern Brazil
Habitat: Bathydemersal, at depths of 310-2140 meters (usually 365-730 meters)
Diet: Primarily a scavenger on dead animals on the sea floor
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The distributional limits of B. giganteus are not well known. As strictly delineated, this species occurs in the West Atlantic around the Caribbean, southeastern USA, and northern South America. It is believed the Bathynomus in the Indo-Pacific are all other species in the genus. While there have been recent reports of this species from the North Indian Ocean and West Pacific, those records should be confirmed.

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I have a real soft spot for isopods! And some of those eBay prices!!!

interesting species and beautiful picture!

Caracal wrote:

interesting species and beautiful picture!

I agree

So interesting and it looks amazing!

Thanks everyone!

Species: †Inostrancevia alexandri Amalitsky, 1922

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Release: 2010
Size/Scale: Length 13.5 cm, for a scale of approximately 1:25 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Ten years old at the time of this writing, this figure is still the only representative of this species in the toy market, not including resin kits, 3D printable options, and statuettes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Permian (Wuchiapingian) of modern-day Russia
Habitat: Semi-arid plains with cyclic seasonal flooding and dry areas
Diet: Predator on other animals, including pareiasaurs such as Scutosaurus.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Inostrancevia alexandri belonged to a group of mammal-like reptiles called gorgonopsids. The gorgonopsids are believed to be the sister-group to Eutheriodontia, which gave rise to modern mammals. All Gorgonopsia were extinct by the end of the Permian.

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Good one, mine is living on a 1/22 shelf. A few years ago I thought about replaced it by a GNModels but nowadays the price for a "fine detail" one are really too high for me on Shapeways.
I guess my Safari Ltd will stay for a looooong time.

Kikimalou wrote:

Good one, mine is living on a 1/22 shelf. A few years ago I thought about replaced it by a GNModels but nowadays the price for a "fine detail" one are really too high for me on Shapeways.
I guess my Safari Ltd will stay for a looooong time.

It's a nice figure; it will probably last a while! Even if another one gets released, may not need to replace it! :)

very fascinating group.. Starlux had released more of forty years ago, a cynognatus (dogjaw) and there is the beautiful recent Schleich "Dinogordon" too.

Very beautiful picture!

Caracal wrote:

very fascinating group.. Starlux had released more of forty years  ago, a cynognatus (dogjaw) and there is the beautiful recent Schleich "Dinogordon" too.

Very beautiful picture!

It would be nice to have more gorgonopsid figures.

And thank you.

I have this figure, and it's a favorite. I agree, we need more gorgonopsids. I'm rather surprised Character Options didn't release one with their Primeval tie-ins.

Species: Morpho cypris (Westwood, 1851) (Cypris morpho)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Club Earth
Series: Butterflies to Go
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.1 cm, for a scale of 1:2 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Club Earth butterflies are marked with the common name on the underside of the wings. This figure was simply marketed as a morpho; the species-level identification is mine based on the wing color (although a member of the M. rhetenor-complex is also a viable option). The figure on the left is by Club Earth; the one of the right is from a set by an unknown manufacturer. This set of 'unknown' butterflies consists of 12 species that are nearly identical to those produced by Club Earth. The only real difference is that they lack the common names printed on the underside of the figures. Otherwise, the quality of plastic and paint applications are nearly just as good as the CE figures. It is possible Club Earth was commissioned to make these for another distributor, or Club Earth and another company bought the rights to the same sculpts (or, these figures are just blatant knockoffs of the CE figures, who knows?). Like most nymphalid figures, these two both have an extra pair of functional legs (the first pair should be reduced to small sensory organs). Kabaya also made this species in the first set of their World Insect Series.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America
Habitat: Rainforests, often in riparian areas and high in the canopy
Diet: Larvae feed on the legume, Inga marginata; adults feed on juices from overripe fruit and sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other butterflies, males of M. cypris are territorial and aggressive, and will chase away other butterflies that wander into their territory. Collecters have learned to take advantage of this behavior. Toss a rock in the air and the the butterfly will chase the rock as it falls to the ground; the specimen can be nabbed with a net as it gets within reach! On an insect-collecting trip in Arizona years ago, a friend (who is a lepidopterist) demonstrated this technique for me!

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Beautiful butterflies!

Nice butterflys

better to nab these beautiful replicas!

nice picture!

Species: Megasoma actaeon (Linnaeus, 1758) (Actaeon beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Insect Hunter Beetle and Stag Beetle
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Length (including horn) 6.3 cm for a scale of about 1:2 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The Insect Hunter figures by F-toys are among the most realistic for the taxa they represent. Some of the figures have some degree of articulation, but this one does not. Megasoma actaeon isn't as commonly made as its relative M. elephas, but I have a handful of figures. Most of them were produced by Sega.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting logs; adults are attracted to overripe fruit and sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Large scarab beetles whose larvae develop in rotting wood often have long developmental cycles. The total develop time for M. actaeon from oviposition to emergence of the adult is about 2.8 years.

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so realistic!

beautiful picture!

Caracal wrote:

so realistic!

beautiful picture!

Indeed

Species: Laticauda semifasciata (Reinwardt, 1837) (black-banded sea krait)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Series 4
Year of Release: 2000
Size/Scale: Figure height 5.0 cm. Measured along spine, total body length 12.5 cm for a scale of 1:7.4-1:10.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being part of one of the original Chocoegg series, some assembly is required. The figure is removable from its base, but it leaves a small peg under the body.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Western Pacific Ocean, including waters around Japan, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, and the Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Coastal waters, including coral reefs and marine caves, returning to land for oviposition
Diet: Marine fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Laticauda semifasciata appears to be expending its range, moving farther north to the Korean Peninsula as waters warm due to climate change. Like most sea snakes and sea kraits, L. semifasciata is very venomous, but it is not very aggressive.

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