Mathison Museum of Natural History

Interesting to read that they were domesticated so long ago. Beautiful model.

Species: Cuora flavomarginata (Gray, 1863)
Common name(s): Chinese box turtle; yellow-margined box turtle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Natural Monuments of Japan
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Total figure length about 8.0 cm. Carapace length approximately 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:3.1-1:4.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The turtle is removable from its base, but it leaves a couple pegs under its hind feet. Figures without a base were made by Kaiyodo, Colorata, and Yujin. Kaiyodo also produced a hatching baby turtle.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan)
Habitat: Varies based on season and reproductive state. In the summer, evergreen forest, grasslands, rice paddies, streams, rivers; breeding females are usually found along forest margins and riparian areas whereas non-breeding females are found in denser forest interiors. In the winter, the turtle hibernates under logs, in dense undergrowth and thick leaves, and abandoned animal burrows.
Diet: Snails, slugs, insects, worms, berries, leaves
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Cuora flavomarginata is currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN. Threats to populations of the turtle include habitat destruction for land development and agriculture, overharvesting for food and traditional Chinese medicine, and collecting for the pet trade. Cuora flavomarginata is currently protected in Taiwan and Japan.

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Beautiful rare model!

Species: Pomacanthus semicirculatus (Cuvier, 1831)
Common name(s): semicircle angelfish; half-circled angelfish; blue angelfish

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Tropical Fish
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 5.7 cm for a scale of 1:4 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure is painted as a juvenile fish. The scale above is calculated based on an 8.0 cm individual, the maximum size for a juvenile with this color pattern. K&M International produced a small, rubbery adult.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths of 1-40 meters
Diet: Tunicates, sponges, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Juveniles of P. semicirculatus generally inhabit shallow protected reefs, while adults prefer coastal reefs with heavy coral growth that provide ample hiding places. Fish are found solitary or in pairs.

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Wondeeful species , model and photo!

That Chinese box turtle is incredible. I love the unique positioning, most turtle figures are doing pretty much the same thing.

Jill wrote:

That Chinese box turtle is incredible. I love the unique positioning, most turtle figures are doing pretty much the same thing.

It's challenging to make a land turtle figure 'dynamic' lol

Species: Asterope sapphira (Hübner, 1816)
Common name(s): star sapphire

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.5 cm. Using forewing length as a metric (n=3.5 cm), scale comes to 1.3:1-1.1:1 (slightly larger than 1:1 scale for a large specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Toy Major butterflies are somewhat of an enigma. There are 12 sculpts, labeled A-L on the underside as well as the copyright year of 1996. Each sculpt has been painted multiple times, resulting in anywhere from 24-36 figures (maybe more?). Also, the different repaints may have been released over multiple years while retaining the 1996 mark. They were sold in sets of various numbers. They are not marketed at the species level, but most are painted to look like recognizable species (the identifications are mine or by other forum members). Several species produced by Toy Major have been produced by other companies of the same era (Club Earth, early Safari Ltd., etc.), as these companies tend to copy one another, and it is sometimes difficult to determine who came first.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America (Lower Amazon Basin of Brazil and Peru)
Habitat: Rainforest; usually in lowland riparian areas
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genus Paullinia; adults take nutrients from human and animal dung, decaying fruit, and carrion
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Asterope sapphira has two broods a year, the first emerging in October and the second emerging in February. Adults fly from September to April, with December being the peak month. Adults usually fly in the canopy, resting on vegetation about 3-6 meters off the ground; females often settle lower, but are wary and will retreat to the dense undergrowth if disturbed.

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Beautiful unique model!

Species: Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): golden jackal; common jackal

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Total figure length approximately 8.0 cm. Height at shoulder approximately 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:11.3-1:12.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Papo only marketed this figure as a 'jackal' and it sparked interesting debates on the forums on what species it might represent. It clearly doesn't represent the 'true' jackals in the genus Lupulella and appears to be a wolf-like dog in the genus Canis. Many collectors, including myself, are using it to represent C. aureus, since it is the 'common' jackal which can occur in France where Papo is based (lately Papo has focused a lot on its local fauna). However, an argument could be made that it represents the African wolf (C. lupaster), which at one time was part of the C. aureus-complex (see below). Forum member Saarlooswolfhound also discussed this in detail in her excellent Blog review of this figure here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern and Mediterranean Europe, Asia Minor, Middle East, Central and South Asia to Thailand
Habitat: Riparian valleys, open woodland, heathland, grassland, sparsely vegetated land, agricultural fields; usually close to water, such as rivers and their tributaries, canals, lakes, and seashores
Diet: Non-discriminate omnivore, both as an opportunistic scavenger and predator of small animals. Diet can vary greatly based on geographic location, habitat, and season.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: At one time there were upwards of 13 subspecies of C. aureus, including African, European, and Asian populations. A 2015 study analyzing mitochondrial DNA suggested that the African populations (6 subspecies) are genetically more closely related to the grey wolf (C. lupus) and coyote (C. latrans) than they are to C. aureus, the latter of which is believed to be descended from the now-extinct Arno River dog (C. arnensis) which occurred in Mediterranean Europe during the Pleistocene. The 6 African subspecies of C. aureus are now classified as the African wolf, C. lupaster, leaving the the Eurasian populations in C. aureus. In presently delineated, C. aureus does not occur on the African continent. In addition, a 2018 genetic analysis suggests that C. lupaster may be descended from a canid that resulted from the hybridization of the grey wolf and the Ethiopian wolf (C. simensis).

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A must have figure

widukind wrote:

A must have figure

I concur.


Next up:


Species: Hymenopus coronatus (Olivier, 1792)
Common name(s): orchid mantis

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: My Favorite Animals
Series: unknown
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1.3:1-1.1:1 (slightly larger than 1:1 for a large female specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen H. coronatus in the Museum. To my knowledge, this is the only figure of this species representing an adult.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, from western India to Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Hymenopus coronatus exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism. Adult females are approximately 6-7 cm in length and have a small horn between their eyes, whereas adult males are smaller, only up to 3.0 cm in length, and lack the cephalic horn.

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I also have the Golden jackal. This is a wonderful model. The Mantis and the Turtle are my favourites, too

Megaptera wrote:

I also have the Golden jackal. This is a wonderful model. The Mantis and the Turtle are my favourites, too  

Thank you. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - did you also database your Papo jackal as a golden jackal or African wolf? Seems it could go either way.

bmathison1972 wrote:

Megaptera wrote:

I also have the Golden jackal. This is a wonderful model. The Mantis and the Turtle are my favourites, too  

Thank you. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - did you also database your Papo jackal as a golden jackal or African wolf? Seems it could go either way.

Its thick fur could be better an eurasian golden jacal's one..

Species: Phrynosoma platyrhinos Girard in Baird & Girard, 1852
Common name(s): desert horned lizard

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: New-Ray
Series: Lizards
Year of Production: 1995
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approximately 7.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a smaller adult specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: I initially had the Wing Mau version of this species, which has a more realistic paint job but suffers from an inaccurate sculpt (body too narrow, tail too long and slender). I decided to replace it with one of the two versions by New-Ray, and I'm glad I did; the sculpt is much better than that of the Wing Mau lizard. New-Ray figures often have unrealistic and stylized paint jobs, however, but today's was the better of the two for this sculpt (the other was red with black highlights and a yellow venter).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Western and southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico in the Great Basin, Mohave, and Sonoran Deserts
Habitat: Deserts and desert shrubland, alluvial fans, dry washes, edges of sand dunes, sandy flats
Diet: Terrestrial invertebrates, especially ants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Phrynosoma platyrhinos prefers sandy habitats where it can bury itself to avoid the extreme midday heat and hide from potential predators. The lizards will also occupy burrows constructed by other animals. Unlike many other species of horned lizard, P. platyrhinos rarely uses the defensive technique of 'squirting blood' from its eyes.

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P.S. I had to buy all four New-Ray lizards as a set (2x horned lizards; 2x chameleons), so if anyone in the U.S. wants to buy the red version of this horned lizard or the yellow version of the Malagasy giant chameleon in their original packaging, PM me.

Very different from the papo one..

Species: Macaca silenus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): lion-tailed macaque; wanderoo

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Chap Mei
Series: Wild Quest
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Head-and-body length (exclusive of tail) approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:7-1:10
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: A rather good sculpt, this figure was originally innacurately painted with a white and black banded tail. I normally don't like to alter figures, but it was an easy fix so I 'softened' the look of the tail using black ink. I didn't completely repaint it, as it would have required repaining the whole animal in order to get the black to match. I may or may not replace this figure if a more accuractly painted version is produced in the future.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South India (Western Ghats)
Habitat: Tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, and broadleaf rainforest; often in the upper canopy
Diet: Primarily fruit; also seeds, flowers, stems, fungi, invertebrates, small vertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Macaca silenus usually lives and travels in groups of 10-20 monkeys, although some groups can have as many as 34 members. A group may consist of more than one adult male, but there is only one dominant male for the purpose of breeding. It is a territorial species, and dominant males use loud vocalizations to let other troops know of their presence. When two troops encounter one another, they often move away from each other with little overt aggression.

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beautiful picture!

Species: Golofa claviger (Linnaeus, 1771)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - standard series, small
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including cephalic horn) approximately 4.0 cm, for a scale of 1:1-1:1.5 (1:1.5 for a large major male)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing 65-75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. The dates of release are currently unknown to me (c. 2008). The figures were produced in conjunction with Bandai and came with Pokemon-style playing cards. At the time of this writing, I think I have all but two of the species. For a review of the sets, please see the overview by forum member Beetle guy here. The only other figure of this species I am aware of was made by Kabaya and is roughly the same size.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern South America
Habitat: Rainforest, palm plantations
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood; adults feed on the stems of plants, including Elaeis guineensis (oil palm)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: In some parts of South America, G. claviger has become a pest of oil palm as feeding by adult beetles damages young fronds that have not yet unfurled.

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