Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Melangyna viridiceps (Macquart, 1847)
Common name(s): common hover fly; common halfband

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 4
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 4.2 cm for a scale of 10.5:1-4.2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Australian Yowies, some assembly is required.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Eastern Australia
Habitat: Woodlands, cropland, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae are predaceous on aphids; adults take pollen and nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Larvae of members of the family Syrphidae (hover flies) are commonly called 'aphid slugs' due to their sluggish motility and predation on aphids.

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

Species: †Tylosaurus proriger Cope, 1869

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Figure length approximately 26.0 cm long. Using skull as a metric (n=4.5 cm), scale comes to 1:38 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: While a fantastic sculpt, this color scheme is probably not realistic for a large marine predator. The natural color was more likely to be dark dorsally with a lighter venter. The scale above is calculated based on KUVP 5033 ('Bunker' specimen).

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Upper Santonian to Middle Campanian) of present-day North America in the Western Interior Seaway
Habitat: Marine, pelagic
Diet: Apex predator on other animals, including other mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles, birds, bony fish, sharks
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Tylosaurus proriger is one of the mosasaurs. Cladistic analysis places Mosasauria nested within Squamata, and as such, mosasaurs are essentially giant, marine ‘true’ lizards. There are four main hypotheses on the relationship between mosasaurs and other squamates. One, the stem-scleroglossan hypothesis, places the mosasaurs as basal Scleroglossa (monitor lizards, beaded lizards, snakes and kin) and with Scleroglossa the sister group to Iguania. Two of the hypotheses show the mosasaurs as having snake affinities: the pythonomorph hypothesis places mosasaurs next to Serpentes while the ophiiomorph hypothesis places Mosasauria as a clade containing the snakes. One of the more recent hypothesis, the varanoid hypothesis, places Mosasauria within Anguimorpha and sister group to Varanoidea (monitor lizards and their extinct kin).

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

Species: Lateolabrax japonicus (Cuvier, 1828)
Common name(s): Japanese seabass

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Favorite Co. Ltd.
Series: Aqua Fish
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 8.3 cm for a scale of 1:6-1:12.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The fish is removable from its base.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific (Japan to South China Sea)
Habitat: Coral reefs; juveniles ascend rivers and return to the sea to spawn
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, other fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Lateolabrax japonicus is a protandrous hermaphrodite, by which the fish reach sexual maturity as males at around 2 years old and change into females when they are older.

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

The parade of pelagic predators proceeds...

Species: Galeocerdo cuvier Péron & Lesueur, 1823
Common name(s): tiger shark

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 14.0 cm for an average scale range of 1:21.4-33.6 or a possible maximum scale of 1:53.6 based on the largest specimens documented
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: The tiger shark seems like the Goldilocks of shark figures, where everyone is looking for one that is just right. Today's Safari figure has a very nice sculpt overall, but only has four gill slits (should be five). The 2014 model by CollectA has the same error. Those that are more anatomically correct are either quite small (e.g. 2014 Kaiyodo Capsule Q Museum - Yaeyama) or larger than most 'standard-sized' figures (e.g. 1990 Safari Ltd. Monterey Bay Aquarium). I am not so picky that the lack of a gill slit would prevent me from getting today's Safari figure. I might replace it some day if a more accurate standard-sized model became available, but it wouldn't be a top priority, as I am generally pleased with it even missing a gill slit.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate oceans and seas
Habitat: Benthopelagic, at depths of 0-800 meters (usual range 0-140 meters)
Diet: Apex predator of other aquatic animals, including dolphins, dugongs, pinnipeds, sea snakes, sea turtles, fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Galeocerdo cuvier is considered one of the most dangerous shark species and has been implicated in many of the documented fatal shark attacks on humans. It often occurs in shallow areas, including ascending canals and the mouths of rivers, increasing the chance of encounters with humans.

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

Species: Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): Highland cattle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Farm Life
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Height at shoulders approximately 6.3 cm for a scale of 1:14.3-1:17.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: While not commonly made, all of the 'big' western companies have produced a Highland: Bullyland (2005), Mojö Fun (2014 cow and calf), Safari Ltd. (2017 bull), CollectA (2008 bull, cow, and two calves; 2024 bull), and Schleich (2010 bull, cow, calf; 2021 bull). Had I not purchased this Papo model when it came out, I probably would have gotten the 2021 Schleich model.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Breed originated in the Scottish Highlands and Outer Henrides Islands of Scotland, and today is bred in the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States
Habitat: Fields, meadows, pastures
Diet: Grasses, flowers, leaves of shrubs and low-hanging trees
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated
Miscellaneous Notes: The Highland is descended from the Hamitic Longhorn which were brought to Britain by Neolithic farmers sometime in the second millennium BC. In the early 1900s the breed was established in other countries, especially Australia, Canada, and United States. Highland cattle are known for their shaggy coats and are well-adapted for colder climates. They are primarily bred for meat, but are occasionally used for milk as well.

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

Nice again

Species: Dynastes hyllus Chevrolat, 1843

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - large series, DX
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) approximately 8.5 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fourth species of Dynastes we've seen in the Museum. The only other figure of this species I am aware of was also by Sega, for the 'small standard series' of their Mushi King line, and that figure looks like a miniature version of today's.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Mexico
Habitat: Montane tropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae breed in decaying wood, including that of Persea americana (avocado); adults feed on sap flows and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dynastes hyllus belongs to the 'white Hercules beetle' lineage which includes five allopatrically distributed North and Central American taxa, the other four being D. grantii (southwestern United States, northern Mexico), D. maya (southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras), D. moroni (Sierra de los Tuxtlas in Mexico), and D. tityus (eastern United States).

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

Species: Attacus atlas (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common names(s): Atlas moth

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Paleo-Creatures
Series: Amazing Moths
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Wingspan approximately 10.7 cm for an average scale of 1:2 for a male specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen A. atlas in the Museum. This figure was made by forum member Jetoar for the short-lived Amazing Moths line. Figures by larger commercial manufacturers were produced by Kaiyodo (2014) and Ikimon (2019).

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Central and East Asia, from India to Philippines, Indonesia, Japan
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical primary rainforest, secondary forests, shrubland
Diet: Larvae feed on a variety of plants, including Ailanthus (ailanthus), Cinnamomum (cinnamon), Citrus (citrus), Elettaria (cardamom), Litchi (lichi), and Magnifera (mango); adults do not feed.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Attacus atlas has an interesting way of deterring would-be predators. The tips of the forewings have prominent extensions that look like the head of a snake, and even have a white-rimmed black macula resembling the snake's eye. The display is further enhanced by movements of the wings when the moth feels threatened.

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

Species: Vespa ducalis Smith, 1852
Common name(s): black-tailed hornet

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Break Co. Ltd.
Series: Biological Pictorial Book - Hornets
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 3.7 cm for a scale of 1.6:1-1.1:1 for a worker (slightly over 1:1 for a very large worker)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen V. ducalis in the Museum. I can't remember, but I think the identification of Break Co. hornets are mine and/or community-based (I may have been helped by forum member Beetle guy). This species was also produced by Bandai for the Diversity of Life on Earth line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, Japan
Habitat: Woodlands, parks, gardens, suburban areas; nests usually occur underground or in crevices
Diet: Larvae are fed the larvae and pupae of paper wasps (Polistinae) provisioned by the adults; adults also feed on paper wasps
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Vespa ducalis lives in the smallest colonies among members of the genus Vespa, with colonies averaging 50 individuals.

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

Species: †Pikaia gracilens Walcott, 1911

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Favorite Co.
Series: Cambrian Creatures Mini Model - Burgess Shale Series
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 11.0 cm for a scale of 3:1-2.2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The animal is removable from its base. Other figures of this enigmatic species were produced by COG Ltd. and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early to Middle Cambrian (Stage 3 to Wuliuan) of present-day North America
Habitat: Marine, nektobenthic
Diet: Microorganisms, organic debris
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: While P. gracilens is an early chordate, a series of unique features believed to already-divergent specializations suggests it was not a basal chordate and that complex animals occurred much earlier than thought. The presence of contemporary chordates, such as the agnathan-like Metaspriggina, lends support to this theory.

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

Species: Mandarina mandarina (Sowerby, 1839)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Sumida Aquarium
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base approximately 3.3 cm in diameter. Total figure height (on base) approximately 5.0 cm. Shell height approximately 1.4 cm for a scale of 1:1.4-1:1.6 (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (unique as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: The leaf is removable from the bottlecap base, but from what I can tell, the snail is not removable from the leaf. This figure came in two colors, the other having a brown shell and a darker body. I would have preferred the other version, but these figures have become hard to find and expensive since their retirement (although if I can ever find the other, I'll probably get it and retain both). I had difficulty finding metrics on this species specifically to calculate scale. The scale above is calculated based on data for the genus and comes from a 2004 chapter when Mandarina contained only three species.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan (Anijima and northeast Chichijima in the Bonin Islands)
Habitat: Temperate forests; usually on the ground
Diet: Soft vegetation, detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Data Deficient
Miscellaneous Notes: The genus Mandarina is endemic to the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands of Japan. The genus may have evolved from Euhadra after reaching the Bonin Islands during the Pleistocene. Sequential adaptive radiations occurred in different islands of the Bonin group and species occupying arboreal, semiarboreal, and terrestrial habitat arose independently on each island. The islands and the species that occur on them are as follows: Hahajima (M. aureola, M. polita, M. hahajimana, M. exoptata, M. ponderosa), Mukoujima (M. ponderosa, M. hahajimana), Imotojima (M. conus), Nakodojima (M. trifasciata), Chichijima (M. hirasei, M. chichijimana, M. mandarina, M. suenoae), Anajima (M. anajimana, M. mandarina).

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

Species: Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Gmelin, 1789
Common name(s): American white pelican

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wings of the World
Year of Production: 2016 (2004)
Size/Scale: Figure approximately 6.6 cm tall by 7.6 cm wide. Using beak as a metric (n=2.5 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:11.6-1:15.6 for a male or 1:10.4-1:14.4 for a female.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This version is a 2016 update to a model from 2004. The main difference is the original model from 2004 had a fish in its beak that was removed for the current version. The same sculpt (with the fish) was also used in 2005 for a brown pelican (P. occidentalis).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North and Central America. Most breeding occurs in north-central and northwestern North America, with birds wintering in southern United States, Mexico, and Central America; can be found throughout North America and the Caribbean during migration or vagrancy.
Habitat: Breeding occurs on islands on inland brackish and freshwater lakes, marshes, and rivers; wintering occurs on coastal bays and estuaries and on large lakes and rivers that do not freeze
Diet: Fish, amphibians, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Pelecanus erythrorhynchos is one of the largest North American birds, being rivaled only by the trumpeter swan in body length and California condor in wingspan.

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

Species: †Olenoides serratus (Röminger, 1887)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Favorite Co. Ltd.
Series: Cambrian Creatures Mini Model - Burgess Shale Series
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Body length (exclusive of appendages) approximately 7.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a smaller adult specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: While no genera or species of trilobites are commonly made, this seems to be the go-to species for companies to make in the last decade or so. Others in my collection alone are by the Royal Ontario Museum (2000), Colorata (2017), CollectA (2017), and Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. (2020). The Takara figure was reissued in 2022 and possibly at least once more.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle to Upper Cambrian of present-day North America
Habitat: Marine, nektobenthic
Diet: Benthic invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Olenoides serratus is one of the few trilobite species that has fossil specimens demonstrating soft tissue preservation. Some specimens have their cerci preserved, and to date O. serratus is the only species known to have had such structures (although is is highly likely others did as well).

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

Species: Pan troglodytes (Blumenbach, 1775)
Common name(s): common chimpanzee

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Wildlife
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Head-and-body length approximately 7.2 cm for a scale of 1:9-1:13
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: There is no shortage of chimpanzee figures. Today's version by Safari takes an atypical approach, showing a charging male, as if he was about to fight a rival or defend his troop or harem.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West and Central Africa
Habitat: Tropical rainforest, montane forest, tropical and subtropical savanna, dry woodland-savanna mosaic
Diet: Primarily ripe fruit and young leaves, supplemented with stems, buds, bark, pith, seeds, resin, insects, eggs, small vertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Pan troglodytes uses simple tools, and nearly all populations have been recording using tools at some point. While their tools are simple, forethought and skill are apparent in making the tools. Sticks, twigs, and grass can be modified for extracting ants and termites from their nests and mounds and rocks are used for opening hard nuts. Populations in Senegal have been observed sharpening sticks and using them to spear bushbabies out of their wholes and a chimp in eastern Africa was documented using a stick to capture a squirrel. Leaves are often used as spoons or sponges to drink water.

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

I really like this chimpanzee, I don't think I've seen it in hand

Species: Perameles gunnii Gray, 1838
Common name(s): eastern barred bandicoot

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Science and Nature
Series: Animals of Australia - Small
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Figure length approximately 6.0 cm long. Using hind foot as a metric (n=1.5 cm) scale comes to approximately 1:4.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Science and Nature also released a larger version of this species in the same year.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia (extreme southern Victoria and Tasmania)
Habitat: Grasslands, grassy woodlands, farmland, parks, cemetaries, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Primarily soil-dwelling invertebrates; also small vertebrates, roots, berries
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Perameles gunnii is adapted for hunting soil-dwelling invertebrates. It uses its long snout to probe deep into soil to sniff out potential prey, and then uses its both its snout and strong claws to extract the food.

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

A treasure