Mathison Museum of Natural History

pipsxlch wrote:

Blaine, I don't know if you check the trade forum often, but NMR_Okapi has just put up a bunch of arthropods, many PVs. Don't know that you'd need any, but...

I saw them, and I have them, thanks for asking though :)

Species: Perca flavescens (Mitchill, 1815) (yellow perch)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Great Lakes TOOB
Year of Release: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.5 for an average-sized specimen, 1:6.6 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only figures of this species I am aware of are this one and the one by Replica Toy Fish.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeastern North America, in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and Mississippi River basins, south to the Savannah River in the Atlantic Slope basin; introduced to other areas as game fish.
Habitat: Freshwater lakes, ponds, pools, and rivers; occasionally in brackish water and saline lakes
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, fish and fish eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Perca flavescens is an important part of the freshwater ecosystem throughout its range, as it serves as a major food source for many aquatic animals, especially picivorous birds. It is also a very popular game fish and is considered one of the finest-flavored pan fish.

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A very special, unique species!

Species: Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758 (giant anteater)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Wildlife
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: Total figure length 14.0 cm. Body length (excluding tail) 9.5 cm for a scale of approximately 1:10.5-1:12.5; the head is 3.0 cm long, which calculates to about 1:10 scale.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: There have been several examples of M. tridactyla made over the years, but until Schleich released one in late 2020, it seems like it has been a while since a standard-sized figure has been readily available. This Safari figure was retired in 2011, but in my opinion is one of the best, as long as one doesn't mind the extruded tongue or the baby riding on the back.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America
Habitat: Grasslands, forests, rainforests, swamps
Diet: Ants, termites, and other insects living in ant and termite nests
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Giant anteaters do not have teeth! Their long tongues can extent about 60 cm outside of the long, slender snout and is armed with spine-like protrusions for picking up its soft-bodied invertebrate prey.

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A marvelous one, a beautiful pics, I put mine on a 1/12 shelf

A beautiful figure!

Beautiful photo. You forgot to write the species (just for the uniformity of your presentations)

I have several giant anteater figures but, if I had to choose a single representative the Safari model would be my choice. OK, the tongue is dispensable but an interesting detail. I love the baby on back actually. Giant anteaters were also relatively common in the past, at this scale among vintage composition models. I know the Safari figure is much larger than Schleich so I am assuming this range of sizes. They were also common at 1:32 scale or as premium figures. Though, it is a fact that among modern companies, they were always figures with a short life and avoiding direct competition. There are a few years without anteaters at all. It surely means they're not popular figures as toys but it is and will always be my favorite creature.

spacelab wrote:

Beautiful photo. You forgot to write the species (just for the uniformity of your presentations)

Thank you for catching that. I compose these in Notepad and when I copied it for the forums, I forgot to highlight the name! Thanks again!

Nice again

It's a beautiful figure. Anteaters have a very small mouth; if they had teeth, their tongue couldn't get out .

Species: Turdus celaenops Stejneger, 1887 (Izu thrush)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 7
Year of Release: 2003
Size/Scale: Figure stands 4.0 cm tall. Body length 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Capsule Q figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Izu, Tokara, Danjo, and Yakushima Islands, Japan
Habitat: Natural and secondary forests, disturbed areas, gardens
Diet: Invertebrates, fruits, berries
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: There are two main theories on the origin of the island endemic T. celaenops. One, is that it is a relatively new species descended from brown thrushes (T. chrysolaus-complex). The other is that they are a relict species related to black-breasted thrush (T. dissimilis) from mainland China.

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Beautiful model!

A fantastic figure of a unique species!

Very nice and unique bird deserved by a perfect background.

Kikimalou wrote:

Very nice and unique bird deserved by a perfect background.

I agree

widukind wrote:

Kikimalou wrote:

Very nice and unique bird deserved by a perfect background.

I agree

Thanks. This pic was taken outside my apartment back door. We had gotten some snow the day before.

I want this Kaiyodo figure, It is marvellous.

I avoid assemblable figures but this model is really special and the species couldn't be more interesting. Great picture again!

Very beautiful pictures of Perca flavescent and anteater!

Species: Dynastes grantii Horn, 1870 (western Hercules beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King
Year of Release: 2003
Size/Scale: Base 4.5 cm long. Body length (including horns) 5.1 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is another species that has become somewhat of a staple among Japanese manufacturers. It seems interesting that a species from southwestern North America would have caught the eye of companies in Asia. It is probably because D. grantii is a hardy species that is very easy and popular to breed in terraria. Figures in the Mushi King collection shown here are affixed to a base simulating wood; the figures can swivel on the base but cannot be removed from it (at least not safely or easily, from what I can tell).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southwestern United States, northern Mexico
Habitat: Subtropical woodlands, particularly in the pine-oak transition zones, and often in riparian areas.
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of several trees; adults feed on tree sap, primarily of Fraxinus velutina (Arizona ash).
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Growing up a beetle collector in Arizona, this species is particularly special to me. I was in high school when I first collected it, a large female in Sedona, Arizona over Labor Day weekend! Adults are commonly attracted to light at night and are a favorite of collectors who flock to southern Arizona during the monsoon season in search of interesting beetles.

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Very beautiiful model (a pity it can be separate from its base)!

Nice again

Caracal wrote:

Very beautiiful model (a pity it can be separate from its base)!  

there are other versions of this species that do not have a base; I have seven specimens of this species in total.