Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Oedaleus australis de Saussure, 1888 (eastern plague grasshopper)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 1; Yowies UK Series 1
Year of Production: 1997
Size/Scale: Body length of Australian figure 6.0 cm for a scale of 2:1. Body length of UK figure 5.0 cm; figure appears to be a nymph but probably also fits into the 2:1 scale.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare [unique as a pair]
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure on the upper right is the Australian release; assembly is required. The figure on the lower left is the UK release; no assembly is required and it is permanently affixed to its leaf base. Like most of the original Yowies, both figures are somewhat stylized, and in both the antennae are too long for a member of Acrididae. Also, the UK figure on the leaf has short wings with an exposed abdomen, suggesting it is a nymph.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia, especially the eastern half
Habitat: Grasslands, semi-arid plains
Diet: Grasses
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Surprisingly, I had difficulty finding information on the biology and habitat of this species. It is a migratory species and does not appear to be an agricultural pest like the similar Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

This Oedaleus looks rather pop designed!

Species: Chromacris speciosa (Thunberg, 1824) (soldier grasshopper)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Exotic Insects
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length 5.5 cm; scale is difficult to calculate as the figure represents a nymph, but comes to roughly 2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was simply marketed as 'grasshopper'; the species-level identification is community-based, but seems to be sound for a nymph of C. speciosa (at the very least, the genus Chromacris is sound). Play Visions figures are often stylized with regards to their paint applications, so there is often some degree of ambiguity when using color as a metric.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina
Habitat: Scrubland, savanna, patchy woodlands
Diet: Vegetation, primarily plants in the families Solanaceae (nightshades), Myrtaceae (myrtles), and Poaceae (grasses); occasionally a pest of crops such as sugarcane and rice
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: It is still unknown if the color pattern of the nymphs of C. speciosa represents aposematic coloration (bright colors that warn would-be predators the animal is distasteful if eaten). Nymphs of C. speciosa commonly feed on solanaceous plants, which are protected from many herbivores by possessing toxic compounds. It is possible that C. speciosa is distasteful by acquiring toxins from eating certain plants. Nymphs of C. speciosa are also highly gregarious, a common habit among grasshoppers that confer gut-content mediated toxicity to would-be predators.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Unique and bautiful!

Species: Conchoderma virgatum (Spengler, 1790) (striped goose barnacle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Barnacles
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Capitulum 5.0 cm for a scale of approximately 1.4:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike most of the figures in the set, this one is made of a softer rubber; it is also sold as a keychain figure, as indicated by the loop near the top.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas
Habitat: Pelagic; usually attatches to buoys, ships, driftwood, sea snakes, whales, and large fish
Diet: Filter feeder on plankton and other organic debris
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike many barnacles that attach to substrates such as rocks and wharfs, C. virgatum attaches to floating objects, such as buoys, the hulls of ships, telegraph cables, and driftwood, and actively swimming animals such as whales, sea turtles, large pelagic fish and eels, and sea snakes. My diorama for today's figure might not be the most accurate as far as where these barnacles are usually found, but my options are limited :).

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Species: Phodopus campbelli (Thomas, 1905) (Campbell's dwarf hamster)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Hamster's Lunch
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Figure height (including base) 4.7 cm. Base 3.5 cm in diameter. Body length 4.5 cm for a scale of roughly 1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (? see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: As with other hamster figures, I am unsure how frequently this species has been made taking into account domestic morphotypes. Today's figure is painted after a domestic variety and clearly represents a pet (which is why I photographed it in a domestic setting). The figure is removable from its base (see inset).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Asia (Mongolia, northeastern China)
Habitat: Deserts, steppes
Diet: Seeds, nuts, and vegetations, sometimes supplemented with invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Burrows of Phodopus campbelli usually consist of 4-6 horizontal and vertical tunnels anywhere from 20-100 cm below the ground. Nests are usually constructed at the end of one of the tunnels and the food cache is usually close to the nest. Phodopus campbelli is known to share its burrow with other rodents, including the Chinese striped hamster (Cricetulus barabensis), Roborovski hamster (P. roborovskii), and the long-tailed dwarf hamster (Cricetulus longicaudatus), as well as pikas (Ochotona spp.). In some parts of the Mongolian Plateau, P. campbelli shares it burrows with jirds (Meriones); in these communities it is the jirds, and not the hamster, that construct the burrows.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The best hamster figures ever

Very cute!

Species: Idea leuconoe Erichson, 1834 (paper kite; large tree nymph)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Authentics Butterflies
Year of Release: 1997
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.6 cm, within scale 1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen I. leuconoe in the Museum. The Authentics butterflies are thick and stylized. Safari Ltd. also made this species for the Butterflies of the World Collectors Case. Neither figure is a particularly good likeness for the species, as the wings have the wrong shape and proportions (and both also have the common mistake of being sculpted with six functional legs). The Collectors Case model was also used by (or at least influenced) K&M International for their Wild Republic Butterflies Nature Tube. The best figure of this species is the one by Yujin, which was reviewed in this thread almost a year ago on November 28, 2020.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, from Thailand to Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, southern Japan, and northern Australia
Habitat: Lowland forests, mangrove swamps
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genera Parsonsia, Tylophora, and Cynanchum; adults take nectar from flowers.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like with other danaine butterflies, the host plants for I. leuconoe are poisonous; the larvae and adult butterflies retain the toxins and are distasteful to birds and other would-be predators.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Species: Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825) (Texas horned lizard)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure 10.0 cm long. Snout-to-vent length 6.5 cm for a scale of just under 1:1 for a mature specimen; could range to 1:1.4 for a large male or 1:2 for a large female
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was not marketed at the species level, but P. cornutum is the best option, especially based on crown morphology and color. Safari Ltd. also made this species for their Incredible Creatures line, but it is larger.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and southwestern United States, northern Mexico
Habitat: Arid and semi-arid regions with scattered vegetation for cover, including deserts, dunes, prairies, and playas
Diet: Primarily ants, especially Pogonomyrmex (harvester ants)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Horned lizards are probably best known for their ability to 'shoot blood' at a potential predator. When stressed, the lizards restrict blood flow leaving the head, which increases blood pressure in the vessels around the eyes. The vessels eventually rupture, and a stream of blood mixed with a foul-tasting chemical is shot at the aggressor. This not only confuses the would-be predator but also makes the lizard appear distasteful. Some predators are not affected by this behavior, however, such as the greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus).

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Species: Okapia johnstoni (Sclater, 1901) (okapi; forest giraffe)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:18.75
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to common
Miscellaneous Notes: While not made with great frequency, most companies have produced O. johnstoni and finding a decent figure usually isn't too challenging. In addition to the one today by CollectA, other good standard-sized representatives include those by Schleich (2019), Safari Ltd. (1999), Papo (2009), and Bullyland (2011).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Non-discriminant herbivore, with a preference for buds, leaves, and thin branches
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Okapia johnstoni has a highly varied plant-based diet and has been documented feeding on over 100 species of plants, including some that are poisonous to humans and other animals. The use their long (46 cm) black tongues to browse vegetation in the understory. Okapis will supplement their diet with clay for minerals and have been observed eating burnt charcoal and licking bat guano from tree holes.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thsi is my "standart size" male okapi

Excellent hamster model!

The okapi I prefer! :)

Species: Spheniscus mendiculus Sundevall, 1871 (Galápagos penguin)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Nature Zone - Galapagos Islands
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Base 4.5 cm wide. Height of bird 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:12.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The bird sits loosely on its habitat-style base. The only other figures of this species I am aware of were all produced by Safari Ltd. for various TOOBs: Galapagos (2009), Penguins (2010), Endangered Marine Animals (2017), Pacific (2019).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Galápagos Islands
Habitat: Sandy shores and rocky beaches; coastal waters to a depth of 30 meters
Diet: Fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Spheniscus mendiculus is the only species of penguin that naturally occurs north of the Equator. The cold Cromwell Current allows it to live in an otherwise tropical habitat.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

lovely model and display!

Lovely little penguin!

Could it be the only figure of that specie?