Mathison Museum of Natural History

bmathison1972 wrote:

Duck-Anch-Amun wrote:

Intersting informations about the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. On TAW (Aldabra Giant Tortoise), we have listed some more figures. Although I don´t know who made the identification and why, especially for the Schleich figure.

Maybe there is some work to do, the same for the Galapagos Tortoise page

My guess is most of those Aldabra tortoises on TAI are community-based and not what the manufacturer marketed them as...

Most manufacturer often call their Tortoises simply Giant Tortoises, not especially as Galapagos or Aldabra. The figures on TAI could easily be proved by checking the nuchal scute, that you mentioned. I think, that after checking that, most Aldabra Giant Tortoises on TAI should be moved to the Galapagos Giant Tortoise page...

And wow! I didn´t know that you are one of the possessors of the rare Potto! Yes, it´s one of the most rare and most wished figures of this forum. And you found in even on ebay Congrats for this amazing possession!

A potto! I didn't know the figure was so sought after, but there's a memorable potto who features in one of Patrick O'Brian's books, which I absolutely love (sometimes better known to film fans as the 'Master and Commander' movie, though the potto isn't in that part of the series, where they go to the Galapagos), so it's nice to see a model of this much-mentioned creature!

Congratulations for this very sought after potto figurine as well as its congeners from the same series

Oh, a very rare figure

Most excellent model again. :)

Species: Atrax robustus Cambridge, 1877 (Sydney funnelweb spider)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 2; Yowies UK Series 2
Year of Release: 1997
Size/Scale: Australian figure has a body length of 3.7 cm, at the large end of 1:1 scale for a female. UK figure has a base of 4.0 cm; body length 3.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a female.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure on the left is from the the original Australian release; assembly is required. The figure on the right is from the UK release which came out in the same year; it is a solid piece of PVC. Yowies tend to be rather stylized (especially the vertebrates) and the UK counterpart, while simple, if often more realistic.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Sydney Region, New South Wales, Australia
Habitat: Moist microhabitats, such as in soil and under rocks and logs in gullies, forests, gardens, compost heaps
Diet: Invertebrates; occasionally small vertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Atrax robustus is often regarded as the most venomous spider in the world. The venom contains delta atracotoxin, which makes the venom particularly lethal to primates, more so than to other mammals. Interestingly, unlike widows in the genus Latrodectus where the females are the more venomous sex, it is the males of A. robustus that are more venomous. Most figures of A. robustus, including the two we are looking at today, appear to be based on females.

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Species: Megasoma elephas (Fabricius, 1775) (elephant beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Maruka
Series: The Strongest Beetle Legend
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including cephalic horn) 4.5 cm. Body length (excluding cephalic horn) 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.3-1:2.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: One of the most common species made by Japanese manufacturers, I am surprised it took so long for us to see M. elephas in the Museum. I don't know much about this set; I stumbled upon it on the Japanese Yahoo! auctions one day. The figures in the set are cheaper in quality and not nearly as detailed as we have come to expect from companies such as Kaiyodo, Yujin, F-toys, Sega, and others.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central American and northern South America
Habitat: Rainforests, plantations
Diet: Larvae feed on detritus in rotting logs and tree stumps, under bark, and in tree holes; adults feed on sap and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other large scarabaeoids that develop in rotting logs and similar substrates, M. elephas has a long developmental cycle. It takes roughly three years from egg to emergence of the adult.

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strange elephant!

How many japanese brands exist?

Beautiful model!

Species: †Todiramphus cinnamominus miyakoensis (Kuroda, 1919) (Ryukyu kingfisher)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 8
Year of Release: 2004
Size/Scale: Figure height 4.5 cm. Body length 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.6-1:3.2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Kaiyodo released two versions of this figure, this one and one representing the nominate T. cinnamominus (Guam kingfisher). If one chooses not to recognize T. c. miyakoensis as a valid taxon (see below), this figure could represent the nominate form as well. Being one of the original Choco Q figures, assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Miyako-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan
Habitat: Forests, mangrove swamps
Diet: Reptiles, insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Extinct
Miscellaneous Notes: Todiramphus cinnamominus miyakoensis is a potentially dubius taxon of kingfisher. It is known from a single male specimen collected on Miyako-jima in the Ryukyu Islands in 1887. Some authorities believe it is mislabeled specimen from Guam where the nominate T. cinnamominus (Guam kingfisher) lived, or possibly a vagrant. If it is indeed a valid taxon from the Ryukyu islands, it is probably extinct. The nominate Guam kingfisher is currently classified in Extinct in the Wild.

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Wonderful model and picture! what a pity it's now extinct!

Species: Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 (brown bear; grizzly bear)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Release: 2013
Size/Scale: Height 12.7 cm for a scale of approximately 1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: A commonly-made species, there are a lot of options to choose from. Just in standard-sized standing bears as seen here, there are three good options: this one, and the figures by Safari Ltd. (2016) and Schleich (2013). I bounced back-and-forth between this one and the Safari figure, but finally settled with Papo.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern Eurasia, northwestern North America
Habitat: Highly variable, including montane forests, tundra, alpine meadows, ice fields
Diet: Nondiscrimanant omnivore, with specific diet varying by seasonal availability.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern (globally)
Miscellaneous Notes: While bears are known for their hibernation, U. arctos does not truly hibernate. They do have a period of inactivity that starts between October and December and ends around March to May, depending on the location, weather, and overall health of the animal. The bears will go into a deep sleep, but it is not considered true hibernation as their body temperature only drops by a couple of degrees and they can be easily awakened if disturbed.

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Both are nice again

Is it just me or why have the previous pages all disappeared? It´s showing me page 5

Duck-Anch-Amun wrote:

Is it just me or why have the previous pages all disappeared? It´s showing me page 5

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - When a thread reaches a certain number of posts, it starts a new thread. The old posts are still in the 'Collections' board, you will just have to scroll down to find them. Here is the link:

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Beautiful model and display!

Species: Forcipiger flavissimus Jordan et McGregor, 1898 (yellow longnose butterflyfish; forceps butterflyfish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Saltwater Fish Pictorial Book 1
Year of Release: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length 4.8 cm for a scale of 1:4.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure is removable from its habitat-style base

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific, from eastern Africa to Hawaii; Eastern Pacific, from Baja California, the Revillagigedo Islands, and the Galapagos Islands
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths of 2-145 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, fish eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Forcipiger flavissimus is known for its territorial behavior. Typically, a monogamous couple will patrol their territory on a reef, keeping away would-be competitors. It is a popular species in aquaria, and despite it territoriality, it is compatible with other non-aggressive fish; however, it will nip at invertebrates.

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Nice fish

bmathison1972 wrote:

Species: †Todiramphus cinnamominus miyakoensis (Kuroda, 1919) (Ryukyu kingfisher)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 8
Year of Release: 2004
Size/Scale: Figure height 4.5 cm. Body length 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.6-1:3.2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Kaiyodo released two versions of this figure, this one and one representing the nominate T. cinnamominus (Guam kingfisher). If one chooses not to recognize T. c. miyakoensis as a valid taxon (see below), this figure could represent the nominate form as well. Being one of the original Choco Q figures, assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Miyako-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan
Habitat: Forests, mangrove swamps
Diet: Reptiles, insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Extinct
Miscellaneous Notes: Todiramphus cinnamominus miyakoensis is a potentially dubius taxon of kingfisher. It is known from a single male specimen collected on Miyako-jima in the Ryukyu Islands in 1887. Some authorities believe it is mislabeled specimen from Guam where the nominate T. cinnamominus (Guam kingfisher) lived, or possibly a vagrant. If it is indeed a valid taxon from the Ryukyu islands, it is probably extinct. The nominate Guam kingfisher is currently classified in Extinct in the Wild.

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Interesting model and a interesting story of this species.

Beautiful fish, model and picture!

Species: Prosopocoilus inclinatus (Motschulsky, 1857)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: unknown
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Total body length 3.0 cm. Body length (excluding mandibles) 2.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.7 for a major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Today is our fifth look at this commonly-made species in the Museum, the first species to reach this milestone! This figure comes from an unknown set of miniatures produced by Sega. It was gifted to me by forum member Beetle guy, and I have no idea when it came out or what the set consisted of. I have a couple species in a similar size that are presumably from the same collection.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Oak forests
Diet: Larvae breed in rotting logs of Quercus (oak); adults are attracted to sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are roughly seven subspecies of P. inclinatus: the nominate P. i. inclinatus occurs in Japan, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula; P. i. kuchinoerabuensis occurs on Kuchinoerabujima Island, Japan; P. i. koreanus occurs in North Korea; P. i. kuroshimaensis occurs on Kuroshima Island, Japan; P. i. mikuraensis occurs on Mikura Island, Japan; P. i. yakushimaensis occurs on Yakushima Island, Japan; P. i. mishimaiouensis occurs on Mishima Island, Japan.

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