Mathison Museum of Natural History

All wonderfully presented.
We can't take in consideration TAW to discuss which animal is most commonly made in toy shape. We have 3 times more lions than T-rexes but most of the editors are collectors of wildlife.
In any way, the most replicated animal is indisputably the horse.

Those Yujin insects look alive.

Species: †Thylacoleo carnifex Owen, 1859 (marsupial lion)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Southlands Replicas
Series: Australian Animals
Year of Release: 2016
Size/Scale: Figure length 13.0 cm. Height at shoulder 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:15-1:16
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only other figure of this species I am aware of is by Cadbury in the Yowies Lost Kingdoms line, which is smaller and requires assembly.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Pleistocene of present-day Australia
Habitat: Woodlands, open scrub, semi-arid habitats
Diet: Presumably predator on other animals, possibly also an opportunistic scavenger
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Thylacoleo carnifex had bizarre morphology. Based on dentation, it appears to have evolved from plant-eating animals, something unusual among apex predators. It was strong, but not fast, and was probably an ambush predator. Its claws were retractable, unique among marsupials, and it probably had the ability to climb and may have cached prey in caves or trees.

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Wonderful model and picture!!

One of the best thing of your virtual Museum of figurines, is that here always we can learn something new. For example, I was unaware of the retractile claws of Thylacoleo, and I find this fact quite interesting

Species: Phyllidia coelestis Bergh, 1905 (celestial phyllidia)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club - Nature Techni Colour
Series: Sea Slugs
Year of Release: 2011
Size/Scale: Body length 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.5 (with 1:1 for a small or young specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in this set had straps or magnets, the former of which could be easily unscrewed. Kitan Club used this same sculpt for the elegant phyllidia (P. elegans) in the same collection.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, usually at depths of 1-30 meters
Diet: Sponges
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Phyllidia coelestis has aposematic colors; it is distasteful to would-be predators from toxins it acquires from feeding on sponges.

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Beautiful display for this unique model!

A very interesting model!

Very colourful

Species: †Sidneyia inexpectans Walcott, 1911

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Cambrian Life TOOB
Year of Release: 2013
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:1-1:2.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Cambrian Life TOOB allows for several unique or very rarely made prehistoric invertebrate taxa, this Sidneyia figure being one of the unique ones.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early to Middle Cambrian of present-day western Canada
Habitat: Benthic
Diet: Hard-bodied marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The phylogenetic position of Sidneyia is unknown but it is generally beleived to be related to, or nestled within, Chelicerata (which includes modern-day arachnids) or Artiopoda (which includes the trilobites).

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Oh! it's a gold nugget!..

You know, I'd love to see what Burgerenby would do with the Cambrian toob figures, then placed and photographed in Blaine's dioramas.

Species: Allomyrina dichotoma (Linnaeus, 1771) (Japanese rhinoceros beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Hayakwa Toys
Series: Insects Collection - Special
Year of Release: 2004
Size/Scale: Large male: body length (including cephalic horn) 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:1-1:1.5 (closer to 1:1.5 for a major male). Small male: body length (including cephalic horn) 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:1-1:2 (closer to 1:2 for a major male). Female: body length 2.8 cm for a scale of 1:1.5-1:2.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: Despite how common A. dichotoma is in the toy market, females are very rarely made; I have over 40 specimens of this species and this is one of only three females. Some of the more commonly-made species in the set come in small and large versions (as in the two males shown here, although the smaller male scales better with the female), the latter of which is marked with the Hawakwa name.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, including China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed on organic detritus in soil; adults are attracted to sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other large dynastines, A. dichotoma has marked sexual dimorphism. Males use their pronotal and cephalic horns to fight over females and to secure feeding sites (having two sizes of males in this set allows me to demonstrate two males fighting over a female).

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The one on the right looks better than the 2 other ones. Very beautiful display!

Species: †Elasmosaurus platyurus Cope, 1868

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Release: 2013
Size/Scale: Figure 24.0 cm long. Measured along midline, body length 27.5 cm for a scale of roughly 1:45
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: ATF/ATB and DTF/DTB founder and administrator animaltoyforum had input into the design of this figure! Long regarded as one of the favorite representatives of this species in toy form, this Safari figure might have gotten bumped by some collectors with the recent release of the 2021 model by CollectA. However, the proportions and overall form of this Safari figure might still be more accurate. The new CollectA figure has a tail fin, the presence of which is speculative but highly probable, but the tail might be too long and it appears to have a arched back which Elasmosaurus did not have.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) of present-day North America
Habitat: Pelagic
Diet: Fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Elasmosaurus platyurus (like other plesiosaurs) was not capable of raising its head above water as commonly depicted in earlier art and media (which further helps debunk the notion that the object seen in photos of the Loch Ness Monster are not a plesiosaur).

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so, accurate model and wonderful display!

Species: Allotopus rosenbergi (Snellen van Vollenvoven in Parry, 1872)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King 'Shooters'
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1 for a smaller specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The term 'shooters' is my designation for figures from this peculiar set in the Mushi King line. The figures apparently came with a device to propel or shoot the figures (I bought mine from forum member Beetle guy without the device). The figures have a small, soft peg on the underside that I presume is used for attachment to the devices. These figures are actually very nice, and some are nicer than their 'small series, standard' counterparts! I don't know how many figures are in the original set, but I have seven.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indonesia (Java)
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae breed in decaying wood; adults presumably feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble researching information on this species. Allotopus rosenbergi is popular with collectors (and Japanese toy insect manufacturers) but not as common in terraria as larvae require wood infected with particular fungi.

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Interesting informations about the incapability of pleisosaurus raising their heads :O As a nessie fan, I always loved the idea it could be a pleisosaurs instead of some sea snake :)

Species: Allotopus rosenbergi (Snellen van Vollenvoven in Parry, 1872)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Encyclopedia of Insects Vol. 3
Year of Release: 2008
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 7.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The same species coming up in two consecutive days? That's the thing about randomness, it can happen! This figure is much more realistic than yesterday's and may have been cast from an actual specimen; the figures in this set are very realistic and in the 1:1 scale range.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indonesia (Java)
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae breed in decaying wood; adults presumably feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble researching information on this species. Allotopus rosenbergi is popular with collectors (and Japanese toy insect manufacturers) but not as common in terraria as larvae require wood infected with particular fungi.

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