Mathison Museum of Natural History

That looks like a small cake with crazy frosting some kid made at a birthday party.

While humans ask their children why they don't like fish, fish ask their offspring why they don't like nudibranches.

Species: Coprophanaeus ensifer (Germar, 1821)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: SO-TA
Series: 1/1 Dung Beetles
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length (exclusive of cephalic horn) approximately 5.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: These two figures represent the same sculpt, just painted two different colors. Assembly is required (and the legs don't hold on particularly well). It's been proposed that the dung beetle in Safari Ltd.'s Smithsonian Insects collection also represents this species.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America (Brazil, eastern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina)
Habitat: Tropical dry forest, Cerrado, Caatinga; occasionally in Atlantic forest and Amazon rainforest
Diet: Carrion
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike many horned scarabs, both males and females of C. ensifer possess large cephalic horns. Males will use their horns for fighting rival males over females and food sources while females will use them to defend their burrows against both males and other females.

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Species: †Dinogorgon rubidgei Broom, 1936

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series: Dinosaurs
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure length approximately 13.5 cm. Using skull as a metric (n=2.7 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:11.9-14.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Schleich didn't identify this figure at the species level and the designation is my own as it's the type species for the genus. Dinogorgon quinquemolaris and D. pricei are sometimes given species-level rank but are often considered subspecies of D. rubidgei, which would make the genus monotypic anyway. This is my only Schleich 'dinosaur' because, well, it's not an actual dinosaur...  

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Permian (Lopingian) of present-day southern Africa
Habitat: Semi-arid and arid forests, semi-deserts, deserts, arid floodplains
Diet: Predaceous on other animals, including reptiles and smaller therapsids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Dinogorgon shares many features with the related Rubidgea and Clelandina, and the three genera have been synonomized in the past. A 2016 phylogenetic analysis places all three genera, as well as Leontosaurus, in the tribe Rubidgeini of the subfamily Rubidgeniae in the family Gorgonopsidae. In this 2016 analysis, Leontosaurus is basal in the tribe and Dinogorgon is sister to the clade Rubidgea+Clelandia. The group is characterized by a lack of a blade-like parasphenoid bone and reduced or absent preparietal bone.

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I like the Dinogorgon, I considered to get it for my collection but it was a time where my focus on prehistoric animal figures started to decrease. I think it is easy for you to get a Schleich dinosaur if you need a Tawa since it is one of the genera only Schleich covered.

Roger wrote:

I like the Dinogorgon, I considered to get it for my collection but it was a time where my focus on prehistoric animal figures started to decrease. I think it is easy for you to get a Schleich dinosaur if you need a Tawa since it is one of the genera only Schleich covered.

Oh, yes. Tawa (and Oviraptor) are ones to consider. I am just not a big fan of Schleich's style in their dinos.

Species: Sphodros rufipes (Latreille, 1829)
Common name(s): red-legged purseweb spider

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Club Earth
Series: Spiders to Go
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 3.2 cm for a scale of 2.3:1-1.3:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in the Spiders to Go collection are marked with their common English name on the underside and appear to be influenced by illustrations in the Golden Guide, Spiders and Their Kin by Levi and Levi (I have the 1990 edition). In addition to this figure, there is a set by an unknown manufacturer that was clearly influenced by the Club Earth set (although the sculpts are not direct copies) that also includes this species.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern United States
Habitat: Temperate hardwood forests, parks, gardens; webs are usually formed on the sides of small trees, other vegetation, and non-wooded structures
Diet: Insects and spiders
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Sphodros rufipes, like other members of the family Atypidae, forms distinctive webs that give it its common name, purseweb spiders. The spiders form silken vertical tubes with one end attached to a tree, rock, or artificial substrate and the other end into soil several centimeters away. Females spend their entire lives in burrows at the bases of their tubular webs; adult males do not build webs. Webs are widest below and at the surface of the soil, and become thinner and fragile toward the top anchor point. Females can extend their webs a foot or more up the trunk of a tree. The outer side of the web may be covered with soil and debris, camouflaging it. The purseweb is not sticky, but a female within it can feel vibrations of potential prey walking on the surface of it. When that happens, the female protrude her oversized chelicerae through the silk and into the prey, then folding their fangs back immediately, drawing the prey into the tube. Afterwards, the female immediately repairs the hole.

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Species: Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761)
Common name(s): small copper; American copper; common copper

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan approximately 6.7 cm for a scale of 2.9:1-2.4:1
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.

Today's figure was rather challenging to come up with an identification for. I settled on L. phlaeas as it resembles the aberration schmidtii, which is endemic to the British Isles (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Holarctic
Habitat: Open woodlands and woodland clearings, heathland, chalk downlands, Alpine tundra, sandy prairies, fields, meadows, disturbed areas, parks, gardens, churchyards, cemeteries
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genus Rumex (docks); adults take nectar from a wide variety of flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern [Europe, Mediterranean]
Miscellaneous Notes: If one accepts the identification of Lycaena phlaeas, this figure was apparently painted after the aberration schmidtii, which is associated with the European subspecies L. p. eleus. An aberration is a variation in the wing pattern of a butterfly species which is different in some way to the normal pattern. This can occur as a genetic or environmentally produced/induced variation of the usual form of the species. The aberration schmidtii is known only from the British Isles and arises periodically following the re-emergence of a recessive gene. This form is characterized by having the base color of the wings a pale cream to white, instead of the normal coppery-orange.

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Lycaena phlaeas looks familiar to me, but I don't think I have seen this aberration.

Species: Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck & Schlegel, 1845
Common name(s): Japanese amberjack; yellowtail

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Primary Saltwater Fish
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:20-1:30
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in this set were originally produced by Yujin in the early 2000s, albeit with a different style of base. Many of the figures in Yujin's 'Pictorial Book' series have been reissued after Takara aquired the line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northwest Pacific
Habitat: Pelagic, demersal; at depths of 0-100 meters
Diet: Fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Seriola quinqueradiata is a major food fish, especially in East Asia. It is commonly used for sushi and sashimi, where it is often sold under the common name 'yellowtail tuna', not to be confused with 'yellowfin tuna' (Thunnus albacares). Despite the use of the common name 'tuna', S. quinqueradiata, a member of the family Carangidae, is only distantly related to the 'true' tuna in the family Scrombidae.

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Sadly only a less known serie

Very beautiful model!

Species: Parasteatoda tepidariorum (Koch, 1841)
Common name(s): common house spider; American house spider

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Garden Animals
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Legspan approximately 7.0 cm. Body length (exclusive of appendages) approximately 2.5 cm for a scale of 5:1-4.2:1 for a female specimen (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Papo only marketed this figure as a 'common spider' and the species designation is my own. The scale was calculated for a female specimen based on the form of the pedipalps. I am aware of only one other figure of this species, a small composite model produced by an unknown Japanese company. Otherwise, this is the only figure of this species available by a well-known widely-distributed manufacturer.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Cosmopolitan (see below)
Habitat: In and around houses, barns, garages, basements, sheds, greenhouses, bridges, and other manmade structures
Diet: Small insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Parasteatoda tepidariorum was originally described from Germany, but is believed to be native to South America and now occurs nearly worldwide due to human activity and commerce. The common house spider possesses neurotoxic venom, but is not considered dangerous to humans.

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In your opinion, is this figure as good as the Papo wolf spider?

Roger wrote:

In your opinion, is this figure as good as the Papo wolf spider?

they are different taxa so you can't compare apples to apples, but yes, the quality is just as good. I reviewed the spider on the Blog.

Its legs seem a little  too thick to me..

Caracal wrote:

Its legs seem a little  too thick to me..

it has to be to prevent breakage


Next up:


Species: †Hyaenodon gigas Dashzeveg, 1985

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Total figure length approximately 17.0 cm. Using skull as a metric (n=4.0 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:15
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: There have been a few other figures of Hyaenodon produced, including those by Mojö (2013), AAA (year unknown), and Geoworld (year unknown); only the Safari and Geoworld figures appear to still be available.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Eocene of present-day Eurasia
Habitat: Open woodlands, savanna
Diet: Apex predator on other animals, including brontotheres and early horses, camels, and rhinos
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: There are over 30 described species of Hyaenodon. They occurred throughout North America, Africa, and Eurasia from the Middle Eocene to Early Miocene. The Eurasian H. gigas was the largest described species overall, while the largest species from North America was H. horridus; both were as large or larger than a modern African lion. Some species in the genus were quite small, however. For example, H. microdon and H. mustelinus were the size of modern mustelids.

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Species: †Mammut americanum (Kerr, 1792)
Common name(s): American mastodon

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 10.0 cm for a scale of 1:29-1:32
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Mastodons are by far produced less frequently than the related woolly mammoths, and today's Safari model is, to the best of my knowledge, the only standard-sized version available.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early Pliocene (Blancan) to Upper Pleistocene of present-day North and Central America
Habitat: Boreal forest
Diet: Browser on vegetation, especially woody material, leaves, fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Mammut americanum became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene. The cause of its extinction was believed to be due to two main factors. The primary factor was probably a reduction of the plants they ate due to natural climate change; molecular studies of the environment suggest the disappearance of megafaunal DNA at the end of the Pleistocene coorelates with changes in plant DNA. The other factor was the added pressure of overhunting by Paleo-Americans, whose ranges were greatly expanding at that time.

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