The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Griffons!

Misc. Guys here.
 
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The Sunda flying lemur is animal that has very few formal studies done, thus we know very little. Bu one thing I found interesting to learn but makes sense after you think it through is...They have harder landings from short glides, rather than longer ones. A longer glide distance gives them better time to aerodynamically "brake" and slow their force down for a safer, slower landing.

I really like this kind of figures

Very nice group, congratulations

Great group! I didn't realize the PV banded palm civet had a variation. Dang, there's so many of all those little guys.

The yowie colugo showed up randomly in my zookeeper facebook group the other day when someone was asking what it was supposed to be. They'd found it in their niece's toys.

Thank you everyone! 

Jill, the yowie is super weird looking, especially if you don't know what it is! Its not the best coloring for it either... but a super unique figure in toy form.

*edit* also! The PV civet on the bottom farthest left is a paint variation. Half of his tail is missing, but I can't get rid of him yet because of his unique color pattern (I need a replacement first).

Finishing up the last of Asia, here is a double post.

First up, bats!

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The Ryukyu bat also has very little known about it. Currently, the population is very fragmented, so not only are they listed as vulnerable, but they also live in rather small pockets (i.e. 200 individuals in a group). 

And then the very last misc. models. 

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Mongolian gerbils commonly sand bathe (similar to chinchillas!) to maintain a healthy coat: it helps with parasites, odor, and removing excess oils.

**added after the fact** Various Asian Rodents

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All are must haves

Also! The page for these Asian Mammals on The Curious Compendium is now up.
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I love these viverrids!

Great group of rodents!

Thank you both!

And now we go on a proper safari... to Africa! To kick off is one of my favorite species: African wild dogs!

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Oh so many fun facts I could share... these dogs can recognize packmates from 50-100 meters away based on coat color/pattern. They have a high hunting success rate; most packs average 60% but some have been recorded as high as 90%! They have a unique voting system for deciding when to hunt; they sneeze! Lastly, these dogs run at a rather lanky species, they weigh aroung 50 lbs on average (but can be 45-80 lbs depending sex, season, and individual variation) and are usually only 24 to 30 inches tall.  

I just got to see this species in person at a zoo for the first time. While they were very well fed compared to their wild counterparts, they were wonderful to behold and watch.

Impressive pack for a species scarcely produiced!

Also one of my favorite animals! What a great pack you have, and your customs are terrific. I had a chance to work with these once in my career before I went the reptile route. They were always one of the mammals I had on my list. I still have a painting they did on my wall.

Wonderful collection!!!

Thank you Alain, Jill, and Taylor! I would have loved to work with wild dogs in real life... but your work with reptiles has been amazing to follow your posts on too Jill.

Some littles! Fennec and my bat-eared foxes.

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Fennecs are so named from the Arabic word of "Fanak". They are also the national animal of Algeria! Bat-eared foxes are unusual for mammals in that they have 48 teeth! (Many more than most other mammals)

Great group of Fennecs,didn't realise there were so many models out there!!

Now there are many fennecs. As i started to collect again the UK Yowie fennec was the only modern brand figure

Thank you! Yes, we have gotten rather spoiled for choice for fennecs.

Now for African wolves! (in this case, golden and Ethiopian for my collection).

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The Ethiopian wolf is also called the "Ky Kebero" in local languages, meaning "the red jackal". The African golden wolf is a tricky species to share facts about as there is a lot of controversy in regards to their classification. Modern techniques have revealed a high degree of hybridization for many European, African, and Asian canines where they converge. This leaves very few animals with genetically pure lines today. Thus the species is still being assessed for population status and genetic health etc.

Interesting lighter color variation of the Nayab figure

Thank you Andreas. I hope to find the darker version sometime, but so far it has been elusive.

My last African canid group, jackals!

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Most jackals relocate litters of pups to a new den every two weeks or so to ensure safety for them. Also, for golden jackals, they have a pretty evenly divided diet for carnivory and herbivory (approx. 54% v 46% respectively).

Beautiful black-baked jacals pack!

Lovely canids all around, those tiny little jackals are really cool especially.

Thank you! :)

African elephants!
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There are 2 subspecies: Savannah and Forest. The savannah have curved backs and tusks and are rather less hairy, while forest elephants have straight backs and tusks and are more hairy. In the areas where they converge, they sometimes interbreed!