Mathison Museum of Natural History

A wonderful beetle- I'm amazed at how realistic lots of these models are!

Species: †Postosuchus kirkpatricki Chatterjee, 1985

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Release: 2008
Size/Scale: Figure 18.7 cm long. Measured along midline, body 21.5 cm for a scale of 1:18.6 (in quadrupedal pose)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: In 2013, a study on Postosuchus' skeletal structure proposed that the animal was an obligate biped, essentially rendering this Safari sculpt outdated. Yet, this remains of the more popular Safari 'dinosaur' figures. So far, there have been no figures by any of the major manufacturers showing the updated pose, but I predict that won't last long.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Triassic (Carnian to Norian) of present-day North America
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical forests, riparian areas
Diet: Predator on other animals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: When P. kirkpatricki was described in 1985, it was considered primarily a quadruped that could walk erect on two legs, albeit slowly. For most of its history it was considered a quadruped, until 2013 when a large-scale study on the skeletal structure of Postosuchus proposed it was an obligate biped, based heavily on the proportions of the limbs and that the weight-bearing sections of the spine were similar to several bipedal theropod dinosaurs.

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I only know postosuchus from Walking With Dinosaurs, I didn't realise the current science says I should be imagining them upright! How out of date my knowledge is

I don't either!

Nice figure

I love this model and species.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

I love this model and species.

So am I, even outdated it is one of my favorite Safari Ltd extinct animals

Species: Spilornis cheela Latham, 1790 (crested serpent eagle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 10
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: Figure height 5.5 cm. Body length roughly 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:7.8-1:10.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being a Choco Q figure, assembly is required. Kaiyodo released this sculpt in two color forms, this one and one painted like an immature bird.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Forests, forest edges, tea plantations, wooded savannas, mangroves
Diet: Primarily reptiles; also birds, mammals, amphibians, and fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Spilorinis cheela is a diurnal apex predator. When not hunting, the birds are usually seen perched atop high branches, surveying their territory.

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A interesting bird figure

Beautiful model and picture!

Species: Prosopocoilus inclinatus (Motschulsky, 1857)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Coca Cola
Series: unknown
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Base 3.5 cm in diameter. Figure length 6.0 cm. Body length (excluding mandibles) 3.2 cm for a scale of approximately 1:2 for a major male (within 1:1 for a smaller specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Today is our fourth look at this commonly-made species in the Museum. I don't know much about this particular set. It was marketed and produced by Coca Cola, but I do not know who actually made the figures (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S., Bandai, and Sega are all possibilities). There are six species in the set that represent typical scarabaeoids made by Japanese companies, but they are relatively good quality. One side of the base has 'Coca Cola' and the other side has the Japanese name of the insect; the figures are safely removable from the base.

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: One of the most important roles of lucanid beetles in forest ecosystems is their ability to transport slime flux-associated microorganisms that assist in the decomposition of decaying wood. In addition, these beetles also carry phoretic nematodes that feed on these microorganisms; among the nematodes associated with P. inclinatus are Koerneria lucani and Pseudodiplogasteroides compositus.

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Beautiful display!

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

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Deep Sea Life
Year of Release: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length 3.7 cm for a scale of 1:5-1:13.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon (becoming more common)
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we have seen this species in the Museum. Kaiyodo re-used this sculpt (or something heavily influenced by it) later in 2017 for the second set of the Deep Sea Creatures Aquarium Figure Collection. The figure is removable from its base.

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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Nice figure

beautiful model and display!

Species: Cottus kazika Jordan et Starks, 1904 (fourspine sculpin)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Series 4
Year of Release: 2000
Size/Scale: Body length 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:4.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Chocoegg figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Freshwater rivers, migrating to the ocean to spawn
Diet: Other fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Cottus kazika is catadromous, meaning adults live primarily in freshwater habitats (in this case, the middle reaches of rivers) but return to the sea to spawn. Juveniles migrate from the spawning grounds and mature into adults in the middle reaches of the rivers.

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Nice fish

I love this model. Such beautifully detailed!

.. yes but a pity the cut line in the middle of the body! very beautiful display!

Species: Chimaera phantasma Jordan et Snyder, 1900 (silver chimaera)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Deep Sea Fish
Year of Release: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length 12.0 cm for a scale of 1:5-1:8.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: My figure is the 2015 release of a figure that originally came out in 2009. The main differences between the two releases is that the original appears to have had translucent fins and the base is a slightly different color. The figure is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Western Pacific
Habitat: Continental shelves, upper slopes
Diet: Small benthic animals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Male chimaeras have cephalic claspers (tenacula) in addition to the normal claspers found in front of the pelvic fins; this figure has both sculpted.

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wonderful model and display!

That is a very cool animal AND model! And I really like that "underwater" display with the waterline.