Mathison Museum of Natural History

strange "Carnivora"! but beautiful model and picture!

Species: Eumeta variegata (Snellen, 1879) (paulownia bagworm)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Caterpillars Vol. 4
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Case 5.0 cm long. Larva 2.8 cm. Both within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was marketed as E. japonica, which was placed in synonymy with E. variegata in 2009. The figure as shown in the main image depicts the protective bag that the larvae of psychid moths carry around for protection; it is equipped with a lid that when removed reveals the actual larva (see inset).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, Japan
Habitat: Hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed on a wide variety of plants, and are considered pests of Citrus, Cameillia (tea), Mangifera (mango), Anacardium (cashew), Piper (pepper), and Cinnamomum (cinnamon); adults do not feed
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Feeding larvae of E. variegata carry around a protective case made of of dried leaves or small twigs from the host plant. The larvae pupate within the cases. Adult males have functional wings and upon ecdysis from the pupal chamber, fly to find a female; females are wingless (or have very rudimentary wings) and spend their entire lives within the protective case. After mating, gravid females lay eggs within their cases and die.

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good display!

Species: Dardanus megistos Herbst, 1804 (hairy red hermit crab; white-spotted hermit crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 4
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Figure 5.0 cm across its widest points (excluding antennae). Scale difficult to calculate, but the shield length comes to about 1.0 cm, which could make it 1:1 for a small specimen (this seems small though, so use this scale with caution; the figure is stylized and the way it assembles might alter features).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Cadbury Yowies, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific, from East Africa and the Persian Gulf east to Japan, Australia, and Hawaii
Habitat: Coral reefs in littoral and sublittoral zones to depths of 50 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dardanus megistos is popular in aquaria, and can live up to 30 years in captivity. They are aggressive towards other specimens of the same species, and so they should be kept apart in captivity.

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Beautiful model and picture!

Species: Lycaon pictus (Temminck, 1820) (African wild dog; Cape hunting dog; painted wolf)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Wildlife
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:12-1:15
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. also released a pup alongside this adult. Among major western companies, the only other standard-sized figure is the one by Mojö Fun, which is slightly smaller and painted after a different geographic variant (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Fragmented populations in southern and eastern sub-Saharan Africa
Habitat: Grasslands, savanna, open woodlands
Diet: Wild ungulates, occasionally livestock
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Some authorities divide L pictus into upwards of five subspecies based on color of the coat and genetic differences. However, there are no geographic boundaries separating some of these groupings, and recent genetic studies show a mix of haplotypes within intermediate areas. This suggests the color differences represent clinal variation rather than distinct subspecies. If one chooses to recognize subspecies, this Safari figure represents the West African wild dog, L. p. manguensis, which occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

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Very beautiful model and I love the picture and I enjoyed reading.

Dare I say this is my favorite post so far? What a great model, quite unique in this scale and with a pup no less? An excellent addition to any collection. :)

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Dare I say this is my favorite post so far? What a great model, quite unique in this scale and with a pup no less? An excellent addition to any collection. :)

I forgot how amazing this figure really was until I reviewed it for this post!

The best figure of that specie

bmathison1972 wrote:

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Dare I say this is my favorite post so far? What a great model, quite unique in this scale and with a pup no less? An excellent addition to any collection. :)

I forgot how amazing this figure really was until I reviewed it for this post!

It really really is well done! The Mojo is nice too bit I prefer this one.

Wow, yes it is so beautiful!

widukind wrote:

The best figure of that specie

  .. sure!.. but they are so few..

Species: Dendrocopus noguchii (Seebohm, 1887) (Okinawa woodpecker)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Yanbaru Creatures
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length about 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure originally came with a base, but it was given to me free without the base. I have often contemplated buying a complete figure to have the base, but for now the animal alone serves my needs.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Yanbaru Forest, Okinawa, Japan
Habitat: Broadleaf evergreen forest
Diet: Arthropods, berries, seeds, nuts
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Dendrocopos noguchii has previously been placed in the monotypic genus Sapheopipo. Like many species endemic to small restricted areas, D. noguchii faces several threats. Two of the most important are construction on Okinawa in close proximity to the Yanbaru forest and aircraft flying over the island.

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Nice woodpecker! Personally, I am not a fan of the bases anyway, but that’s just me.

Birdsage wrote:

Nice woodpecker! Personally, I am not a fan of the bases anyway, but that’s just me.

I prefer bases, especially for small species

beautiful woodpecker!

Species: †Hollardops sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Fossils Collection
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length 7.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was only sold generically as a trilobite, and the identification is my own.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Devonian (Eifelian) of present-day Morocco
Habitat: Marine, benthic
Diet: Presumably predaceous on marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many other members of the Phacopina, Hollardops had large, prominent eyes characterized by very large, separated lenses each with its own cornea (schizochroal eyes). Its eyes also allow for a more panoramic view of the animal's surroundings, most-likely as a defensive feature to look out for would-be predators.

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That woodpecker is a must have

with its 2 big eyes, looks like a vertebrate face!.. beautiful display! 

back after a couple days off!

Species: Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) (blue swimmer crab; flower crab; blue crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Japanese Crabs Collection
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Carapace width 3.5 cm for a scale of about 1:4-1:5.5 for a mature specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: No assembly is required, but there is articulation at the merus-carpus juncture. Kaiyodo also produced this figure for their Aquatales line, but the sculpts are different. Cadbury made this species for both the Australian and UK releases of their Yowies.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Intertidal zone, to 65 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, fish, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Portunus pelagicus is a common commercial species throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

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Beautiful crab!

Joliezac wrote:

Beautiful crab!

I agree