Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Mandrillus sphinx (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): mandrill

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2011
Size/Scale: Body length (exclusive of tail) approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:11.7-1:15.8 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to common
Miscellaneous Notes: Mandrillus sphinx is a species that seems to get just enough representation as a toy/figure. Not super common, but usually readily available. The two most recent, which are also nice, are those by Safari Ltd. (2019) and Schleich (2022), the former of which is rather large if I remember correctly. Scale-conscious collectors may want to look to something smaller, like Furuta or Eikoh. Calculating scales on primate figures is inherently challenging. The scale above has based on a body length range of 70-95 cm for an adult male.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Equatorial West Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo); south of the Sanaga River and West of the Ogooué and Ivindo Rivers
Habitat: Primary tropical rainforest; on occasion secondary forest, patchy gallery forest, and other areas with thick bush
Diet: Primary plants, including fruit, seeds, leaves, pith, and flowers; occasionally fungi and small animals, such as insects, snails, worms, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Mandrillus sphinx lives in large social groups called supergroups or hordes, which can contain as many a a few to several hundred individuals, making them the largest cohesive groups of non-human primates. A horde will consist of an alpha male, subordinate males, females, and offspring, and on average only less than 2% of the horde consists of adult males. These hordes are considered stable and not merely gatherings of smaller groups. Hordes consist of matrilineal family groups and females play an important role on maintaining social order. Only the alpha male is permanently associated with the social group; other males join as females become sexually receptive. Outside of the breeding season, non-alpha males are solitary and do not form bachelor groups.

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Nice mandrill

I have it too, It's a good model but a little to big to my taste.

Species: Ambystoma tigrinum (Green, 1825)
Common name(s): eastern tiger salamander

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yell
Series: Channel Crocodile Gacha Gacha
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approximately 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:3.3 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: The scale above was calculated based on snout-to-vent length (SVL). I had trouble finding consistent references on the range, and some I suspect were actually total body length. The scale above is calculated based on an SVL of 11.4 cm for a mature adult salamander as provided by the Virginia Herpetological Society. One should note that other figures marketed as 'tiger salamanders' might represent other species of Ambystoma based on the current taxonomy of the genus.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America; introduced to central California where it has hybridized with the California tiger salamander (A. californiense)
Habitat: Larvae and neotenic adults are aquatic, living in freshwater ponds and pools. Non-neotenic adults are terrestrial, living in coniferous, deciduous, and mixed woodlands, damp fields, marshy areas
Diet: Larvae feed on freshwater invertebrates, tadpoles, other salamander larvae, small fish; adults feed on terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other mole salamanders, the larva of A. tigrinum is aquatic and the adult is typically terrestrial. The development from larva to adult can vary based on environmental conditions. For example, in seasonal pools in the north, larvae metamorphose quickly, becoming 'small adult morphs', while in larger, ancestral pools in warmer climates, the larvae may not metamorphose until they reach their full adult size (waterdogs). Some populations do not metamorphose at all, and become sexually mature in their larval form (neotenic) and spend their entire lived in the water.

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What do you think, are the animals figures naturally or more toyish? In my opinion it could be better but if i can see the figures in your collection i think they are better than i believe.

widukind wrote:

What do you think, are the animals figures naturally or more toyish? In my opinion it could be better but if i can see the figures in your collection i think they are better than i believe.

They are slightly stylized but not too bad. In my opinion, they are not much different than current US Yowies, for example.

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

What do you think, are the animals figures naturally or more toyish? In my opinion it could be better but if i can see the figures in your collection i think they are better than i believe.

They are slightly stylized but not too bad. In my opinion, they are not much different than current US Yowies, for example.

Okay, but especially my favourite, the monitor, have strange colours.

widukind wrote:

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

What do you think, are the animals figures naturally or more toyish? In my opinion it could be better but if i can see the figures in your collection i think they are better than i believe.

They are slightly stylized but not too bad. In my opinion, they are not much different than current US Yowies, for example.

Okay, but especially my favourite, the monitor, have strange colours.

Oh, that's because the monitor is painted after a domestic/captive morphotype. It is not the color of an animal in the wild (much like an albino pet snake, etc.)

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

What do you think, are the animals figures naturally or more toyish? In my opinion it could be better but if i can see the figures in your collection i think they are better than i believe.

They are slightly stylized but not too bad. In my opinion, they are not much different than current US Yowies, for example.

Okay, but especially my favourite, the monitor, have strange colours.

Oh, that's because the monitor is painted after a domestic/captive morphotype. It is not the color of an animal in the wild (much like an albino pet snake, etc.)

I never heard of domestic morphotypes by monitors.

I hadn't heard of this series before. The monitor is indeed unique, but natural (as far as "domestication" or rather captive bred morphs go anyway). Very nice tiger sal!

widukind wrote:

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

What do you think, are the animals figures naturally or more toyish? In my opinion it could be better but if i can see the figures in your collection i think they are better than i believe.

They are slightly stylized but not too bad. In my opinion, they are not much different than current US Yowies, for example.

Okay, but especially my favourite, the monitor, have strange colours.

Oh, that's because the monitor is painted after a domestic/captive morphotype. It is not the color of an animal in the wild (much like an albino pet snake, etc.)

I never heard of domestic morphotypes by monitors.

Yes, I just did some checking, and it's an albino form popular in the pet trade. It's the Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator); the same species in the Yujin lizards collection.

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

bmathison1972 wrote:

widukind wrote:

What do you think, are the animals figures naturally or more toyish? In my opinion it could be better but if i can see the figures in your collection i think they are better than i believe.

They are slightly stylized but not too bad. In my opinion, they are not much different than current US Yowies, for example.

Okay, but especially my favourite, the monitor, have strange colours.

Oh, that's because the monitor is painted after a domestic/captive morphotype. It is not the color of an animal in the wild (much like an albino pet snake, etc.)

I never heard of domestic morphotypes by monitors.

Yes, I just did some checking, and it's an albino form popular in the pet trade. It's the Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator); the same species in the Yujin lizards collection.

I know, sadly after i bought the set

Species: Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Boxer

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Farm Time
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 4.7 cm for a scale of 1:12.4-1:13.5 (see below)
Frequency of breed in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Our second dog breed in less than a week! Like the recent Labrador Retriever, there have been several Boxer figures made over the years. Two other of the nicer and more recent versions are those by Papo (2011) and Safari Ltd. (2018). There are two kinds of boxers, the American Boxer and German Boxer; this figure was sculpted after the former. The scale above is calculated based on measurement standards of the American Kennel Club for a male dog, which the figure is sculpted as.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Breed originated in Germany and today is bred around the world, especially in Europe and North America.
Habitat: Human habitations, farmlands, country estates
Diet: General omnivore
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated
Miscellaneous Notes: The Boxer originated in Germany in the 19th century by crossing the now extinct Bullenbeisser with British Bulldogs. It was originally bred for hunting large animals such as wild boar, bear, and deer. The first Boxer Club was founded in 1896 in Munich, Germany and its official standard was published in 1904. The breed was introduced to other European countries in the late 19th century and the United States at the end of the 19th century or start of the 20th century. The American Kennel Club first registered the breed in 1904. During World War I, the breed was used as a messenger dog, pack carrier, guard dog, and attack dog. Introduced to other parts of the world after World War II, it started to become a popular companion, show, and guard dog. Today there are two main kinds of Boxer, the German Boxer and the American Boxer, the former of which is generally more muscular and has a larger head than the latter.

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Great photo, it looks very real!

rogerpgvg wrote:

Great photo, it looks very real!

Thanks. I am very happy with the way it turned out. it's a Dioramansion background.

I think I'd seen the background before, but it works particularly well with this dog.

rogerpgvg wrote:

I think I'd seen the background before, but it works particularly well with this dog.

yes I have used it for the brown rat and some anthropophilic animals (house gecko, house spider, etc. LOL). Maybe others that escape me. But I am particularly happy with the way the boxer looks. I also used it for the Schleich Bishon Frise on the Animal Toy Blog (last photo): [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I am so glad to see the dog fever has smitten you too. :) You have a nice selection so far.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

I am so glad to see the dog fever has smitten you too. :) You have a nice selection so far.

It's only fair since you were bitten by the bugs LOL

Speaking of which next up:

Species: Somatochlora hineana Williamson, 1931
Common name(s): Hine's emerald

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Great Lakes TOOB
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.0 cm for a scale of approximately 1:1.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari didn't market this figure at the species level; it is a community-based identification I agree with based on the morphology, particularly the dark body with bright green eyes, in combination with the theme of the TOOB (Great Lakes).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeastern North America; relict populations around Lake Michigan in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, and in southern Missouri
Habitat: Nymphs live in cool, shallow, slow-moving surface water of wetlands, marshes, fens, and bogs that are fed by alkaline, mineral-rich groundwater; adults forage in open woodlands and fields
Diet: Nymphs feed on aquatic insects, freshwater isopods, snails, oligochaetes, and tadpoles; adults prey on flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern (classified as Endangered by the Endangered Species Act of 1973)
Miscellaneous Notes: Somatochlora hineana spends most of its life as an aquatic nymph, for as long as 2-4 years. During the late summer, when their shallow pools of water start to dry up, S. hineana will utilize crayfish burrows to avoid dessication.

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bmathison1972 wrote:

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

I am so glad to see the dog fever has smitten you too. :) You have a nice selection so far.

It's only fair since you were bitten by the bugs LOL

Ha! This is true...

As a short aside, this dragonfly came into my life when I was debating with myself about adding bugs to the curation... To date this is the only dragom fly I have (my bug collection is still small, but growing).

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

bmathison1972 wrote:

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

I am so glad to see the dog fever has smitten you too. :) You have a nice selection so far.

It's only fair since you were bitten by the bugs LOL

Ha! This is true...

As a short aside, this dragonfly came into my life when I was debating with myself about adding bugs to the curation... To date this is the only dragom fly I have (my bug collection is still small, but growing).

Dragonflies are very common in generic 'bin' sets, but getting good dragonflies identified at the species level is challenging outside of Japanese brands.

Last year Takara released a nice set of 1:1 dragonflies!

Ooh I shall have to look that set up! The Safari is a rather nice model anyhow.

Species: Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): monarch; milkweed butterfly

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Wild Republic - Butterflies Nature Tube
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Wingspan 5.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.5-1:1.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the eighth time we have seen D. plexippus in the Museum, not surprising given that it is probably the most commonly made species of lepidopteran. K&M International didn't market any of the figures in this tube collection to the species level, but I don't think there is any doubt on the identity of this particular model.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, the Azores, Canary Islands, North Africa, Australia, Philippines, and South Pacific islands; rare stray to the United Kingdom
Habitat: Fields, forests, parks, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae feed on milkweeds in the family Apocynaceae, especially members of the genus Asclepias; adults take nectar from a variety of flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: There are currently six species of D. plexippus: 1) D. p. plexippus (migratory subspecies from most of North America and Hawaii); 2) D. p. megalippe (non-migratory subspecies from Florida and Georgia in the USA to the Caribbean and South America to the Amazon River); 3) D. p. nigrippus (South America); 4) D. p. leucogyne (St. Thomas); 5) D. p. portoricensis (Puerto Rico); 6) D. p. tobagi (Tobago).

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