Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: †Atlasaurus imelakei Monbaron et al., 1999

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Eofauna
Series: 1:35 Scale Dinosaurs
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure approx. 22.5 cm tall by 30 cm wide. Using humerus as a metric (n=5.5 cm) scale comes to approx. 1:35.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Not much to say about a figure that is relatively recent, unique for its species, and very well done. I've wondered if the paint job was inspired by the ring-necked snake.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Jurassic (Bathonian-Callovian) of present-day northern Africa
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical open forests and neighboring alluvial plains
Diet: Plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The phylogenetic relationships of Atlasaurus are still not fully understood. It was originally classified as a cetiosaur although later it was allied with the brachiosaurs. In 2015 it was regarded as a turiasaur. The most recent analysis, in 2020, recovers Altasaurus as a brachiosaurid.

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Funny that is is spelled as Atlasaurus and not Atlassaurus.

Species: Culicidae, gen. sp.
Common name(s): mosquito

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Small Insects and Spiders
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approx. 2.5 cm for a scale of 8.3:1-1.4:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare [species dependent]
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was only marketed as a mosquito and is not identifiable below the family level. The scale above is calculated based on the family Culicidae as a whole.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide
Habitat: Highly variable depending on species; habitats require a source of water or other damp substrate for larval development.
Diet: Larvae feed on algae, bacteria, and detritus. Adults feed on nectar and plant juices; females of many species are also hematophagous on vertebrates. Some species are anautogenous, meaning the female mosquito requires blood for egg laying.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A; species dependent [most, if not all, are probably Not Evaluated]
Miscellaneous Notes: Mosquitoes are probably the most medically important group of arthropods. They are responsible for the transmission of many diseases, including the agents of malaria, lymphatic filariasis, West Nile virus, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, and dengue.

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Species: Bathynomus doederleini Ortmann, 1894
Common name(s): giant deep-sea isopod

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Gusokumushi and Oogusokumushi
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 6.0 cm for a scale of 2.1:1-1:2.3 (within scale 1:1 for a smaller adult specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: These figures came as strap figures, but luckily the strap is easily unscrewed leaving a tiny non-obtrusive hole. On the paperwork, the pale yellow figure translates to albino, but I wonder if it is intended to represent a teneral (freshly-molted) specimen. It's surprising Japanese companies have made so few of this species compared to B. giganteus, especially since the latter doesn't occur in the waters around Japan whereas the type locality for B. doederleini is near Enoshima, Japan.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific, from Japan to the Philippines
Habitat: Bathydemersal; along continental shelves and slopes at depths of 100-680 meters
Diet: Primarily a scavenger on dead animals on the sea floor
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty finding information on this species; there is a lot less information readily available than there is on the related B. giganteus.

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Species: Parantica sita (Kollar, 1844)
Common name(s): chestnut tiger

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Science Techni Colour - Private Specimen of a Lepidopterist Acrylic Mascot 1
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 5.6 cm for a scale of 1:1.6-1:1.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. sita in the Museum, but the first as an adult. In fact, to my knowledge this is the only adult available of this species. The other two figures I am aware of, by Shine-G and Kaiyodo, are larvae. The figures in this series are essentially photographs of butterflies and moths embedded in acrylic. Flip the figure over and the underside reveals an image of the ventral side of the animal, too. They are also sold as keychains (hence the hole in the acrylic above the head).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Himalayan Mountains in Central Asia; East and Southeast Asia to Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan
Habitat: Open forests and rainforests, hills, grasslands
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the family Apocynaceae (dogbanes, milkweeds); adults take nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are six subspecies of P. sita, including P. s. sita (southwestern China and the Indo-China Peninsula), P. s. niphonica (Japan, Korean Peninsula, Taiwan), P. s. tytia (Nepal and northeastern India), P. s. ethologa (Indo-China Peninsula and Malay Peninsula), P. s. oblita (Palawan Island), and P. s. melanosticta (southern Indo-China Peninsula).

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Species: Chalcosoma atlas (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Atlas beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - small series, standard
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including cephalic horn) approx. 4.7 cm for a scale of 1:2.5 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen C. atlas in the Museum (it's not as commonly made as the related C. chiron). Morphologically, it looks a little more like C. chiron but was marketed as C. atlas using translation software. 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.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Primary and secondary tropical broadleaf forests, plantations
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood and detritus; adults feed on tree sap and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like several large dynastine beetles, C. atlas is named after a character in Greek Mythology. In this case it is the Titan Atlas, who was condemned to hold up the sky and heavens for eternity after the Titanomachy, a battle between the Titans and the Olympians.

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Species: Branchinella kugenumaensis (Ishikawa, 1895)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Microcosmos
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approx. 3.5 cm long for a scale of 1.5:1-1.3:1 (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The animal is removable from its base. I had a hard time finding a defined range for the size of this species and the range above is calculated based on average lengths of 23.5 mm and 26.5 mm for males and females, respectively, from a published study that looked at 70 specimens. It could probably scale 2:1 but it's probably too big for 1:1.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and East Asia, from India to Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, China, Japan
Habitat: Vernal and ephemeral pools and ponds, seasonal flood waters, rice paddies
Diet: Filter feeders of organic particles and microrganisms
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other fairy shrimp, B. kugenumaensis typically lives in vernal and ephemeral pools and ponds characterized by drought and inundation. When the pools are full of water, fairy shrimp are active, feeding and reproducing. As the water dries up, the eggs enter a state of diapause. The allows the eggs to stay viable until the water returns, which in some areas can be years or even decades!

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Wow..... Very interesting model.

Species: Lama pacos (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Huacaya alpaca

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Height at withers (shoulders) approx. 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:14.7-1:18
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: While only a handful alpacas have been made by modern western companies, several of the more familiar companies have produced them, including Bullyland (2004), CollectA (2022), Safari Ltd. (2008, adult and young), and Schleich (2012, male, female, and young; 2021, female with two young). While most alpaca figures appear to be modeled after the Huacaya alpaca, the 2018 Safari version might represent the Suri alpaca. I am not aware of any definitive figures of a vicuña (Lama vicugna), the wild ancestor of the alpaca.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Domestication occurred in the Andean Altiplano in South America and today the alpaca is bred nearly worldwide.
Habitat: Andean Altiplano
Diet: Grasses, bunch grasses, woody shrubs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated
Miscellaneous Notes: The alpaca is believed to be descended from the vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) and domestication occurred thousands of years ago. Mummies of alpaca in Moquegua Valley in southern Peru date back 900-1000 years. Today there are two main breeds of alpaca, Huacaya and Suri. They are separated by the structure of the fibers in their coats. Huacaya alpacas have denser thicker coats and are better suited to the higher altitudes of the Andes. The Suri alpacas have a thinner, more lustrous coat and are better adapted for lower elevations. It is believed that the Suri was the dominant form in pre-Columbian Peru while the Huacaya originated in post-colonial Peru.

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Species: Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): small cabbage white; cabbage butterfly; small white

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Caterpillars Vol. 5
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 6.2 cm for a scale of 1.8:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. rapae in the Museum. The last time was an adult by K&M International, and that identification was community based. Today's larva, however, was specifically marketed as P. rapae.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Believed native to the Eastern Mediterranean, with natural spread throughout Europe and Asia following the expansion of brassicaceous crops; unintentional introductions to North America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii
Habitat: Highly variable, but usually in areas with open spaces, including open forests, bogs, fields, meadows, disturbed areas, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae primarily feed on plants in the family Brassicaceae (crucifers), with secondary hosts in the families Capparidacaea (capers) and Resedaceae (mignonettes); adults take nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status is Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: In parts of North America and Asia where P. rapae is considered an exotic agricultural pest, the parasitic braconid wasps Cotesia rubecula and C. glomerata have been introduced for biocontrol.

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Beautiful photo and model!

Love the outdoor photo!

rogerpgvg wrote:

Beautiful photo and model!

Joliezac wrote:

Love the outdoor photo!

thanks! I try to do it when it fits for the size of the figure and time in the day allows for it. I am picky with outdoor conditions, so I can only do it when I figure comes up during the time of year that makes sense for the animal (e.g., I wouldn't do a tropical insect in the snow) and if my schedule allows me to take a pic outside when the lighting is best.

Species: Dorcus hopei binodulosus Waterhouse, 1874

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Re-ment
Series: Insect Kingdom Magnets
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) approx. 6.5 cm, within scale 1:1 or about 1:1.2 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the eighth time we've seen D. h. binodulosus in the Museum; it is one of the most commonly beetle produced species by Japanese manufacturers. As the name of the set implies, the figure has a magnet on the underside. Unfortunately, the magnet is a little more obtrusive than magnets on other figures by other companies, such as those in the Ikimon/Kitan Club Nature Techni Colour line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae breed in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dorcus hopei binodulosus is popular with beetle breeders as it is very easy to rear in terraria. Its popularity has led to a nearly 300 million dollar industry in Japan alone!

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Species: Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): great blue heron

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Wild Republic - River Nature Tube
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: Figure approx. 8.5 cm tall. Using culmen as a metric (n=1.5 cm) scale comes to 1:8.2-10.1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Not too long ago, this figure replaced the Safari Ltd. TOOB version in my collection. I prefer the detail in color in the Safari model, but it's too small. The K&M heron scales better with the Papo grey heron and other pelecaniform birds in my collection. I would gladly replace it if and when a better standard-sized version became available. If anyone choses to pursue this figure on eBay or other sites, make sure you get one with 'in-hand' photos showing the paint job. Recently, the complete tubes have a mostly unpainted version!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America south to northwestern South America, Caribbean, and Galapagos; rare vagrant to the Azores and continental Europe
Habitat: Fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, lake edges and shorelines, flooded meadows, rivers, streams, canals
Diet: Primarily fish; also amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Ardea herodias is one of the largest and most widespread birds in North America. It breeds throughout much of the continental United States, the Baja Peninsula, and the Western Caribbean, although it's mainly only found in the mountainous regions of the West and Southwest during migration. It winters throughout Central America to extreme northern South America, the Galapagos, and the Eastern Caribbean. Since I started birding in 2020, I have visited 18 states plus DC and have documented the species in 15 states.

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Species: †Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach, 1799)
Common name(s): woolly rhinoceros

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approx. 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:19.3-1:21.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is Safari's second standard-sized woolly rhino, following the Missing Link model from 1997. Another impressive figure is recent years in the 2023 rendition by Mojö Fun.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Pleistocene–Late Pleistocene of northern Eurasia
Habitat: Mammoth steppe, lowlands, plateaus, river valleys
Diet: Grazer of grasses, sedges, flowers in the summer; browser of woody plants in the winter
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Extinction of C. antiquitatis is believed to have resulted from the Bølling–Allerød warming, when an increase in precipitation transformed the low-growing grass and herb environment into habitats dominated by trees and shrubs, thus diminishing food options. The habitat and climate changes also resulted in habitat fragmentation which may have lead to extensive inbreeding of smaller, isolated populations of the woolly rhino. Although early humans did hunt wooly rhinos, they probably did not play a major role in the animal's extinction. However, because of smaller rhino populations due to habitat fragmentation, hunting of these smaller populations could have lead to faster rate of extirpation which would have contributed to the overall extinction of the species.

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Species: Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834)
Common name(s): scalloped hammerhead

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Sealife
Year of Production: 2008
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 16.0 cm for a scale of 1:15.6-1:26.9 for a female specimen (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure has only four gill slits on the left side but the correct number of five slits on the right side. The scale above is calculated based on a female due to a lack of claspers on the figure. It could scale down to 1:9.4 for a male.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Circumglobal in tropical and subtropical seas and oceans
Habitat: Coastal-pelagic; at depths of 0-1,043 meters (usually 0-25 meters)
Diet: Young sharks feed on benthic and neritic fish in coastal waters; adults feed on bony fish, smaller sharks and rays, cephalopods, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Sphyrna lewini was the first shark to be protected under the Endangered Species Act and is currently categorized as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Overfishing is believed to be the main reason for the species' decline. The scalloped hammerhead is slow growing, matures late, and has a relatively low fecundity, making it particularly prone to the effects of overfishing.

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Species: Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): three-spined stickleback

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Freshwater Fish Pictorial Book 1
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 4.3 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:2.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (possibly unique as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: Yujin released this figure at least twice; I believe mine is from the first release. The fish is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Boreal and temperate Northern Hemisphere
Habitat: Coastal brackish, freshwater, and marine habitats. Freshwater populations are found in coastal rivers, streams, lakes, ditches, backwaters. Marine and brackish populations are found in estuaries, sheltered bays, marshes, coastal seas.
Diet: Freshwater invertebrates, terrestrial invertebrates that fall into water, plankton; cannibalism of eggs and fry not uncommon
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Gasterosteus aculeatus exhibits some cooperative behavior, especially for cooperative predator inspection which allows for the acquisition of information of the potential risk of a would-be predator. The behavior is usually performed by pairs of fish that work together regularly. The strategy employed by three-spined sticklebacks is considered a tit-for-tat (TFT) strategy, whereby the two fish simulate each other’s moves, allowing for a combination of collaborative, retaliatory, and forgiving behavioral responses. One downfall, is that if the predator turns out to be hungry, it could cost one of the fish its life.

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Species: Anser cygnoides domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Chinese goose; African goose; domestic swan goose

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Farm Life
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Figure stands approx. 6.5 cm tall and is approx. 8.5 cm wide. Using body length as a metric (n=8.5 cm), scale comes to approx. 1:9.5-1:11.1.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: CollectA produced two versions of this goose in 2012; this one, a male with its wings open, and a female in a neutral pose.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Domestication originated in China and is now bred nearly worldwide.
Habitat: Farmland, pastureland; feral populations found near sources of freshwater including lakes, ponds, parks
Diet: Sedges, grasses, aquatic plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: All domestic geese are descended from two species, the swan goose (A. cygnoides) and the graylag goose (A. anser). The graylag goose was domesticated in Western Asia, Europe, and Africa while the swan goose was domesticated in China and other parts of East Asia. The swan goose is thought to have been domesticated in China around 1,000 BC. There are two breeds of domesticated swan goose, African and Chinese. Both originated in Asia; the African probably got its common name because it is believed that it first arrived in Europe via Madagascar. While this is a domesticated species, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations considers it endangered while the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) considers it at risk.

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Species: Dynastes grantii Horn, 1870
Common name(s): western Hercules beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - small series, standard
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) approx. 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:2 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fifth time we have D. grantii in the Museum. 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.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southwestern United States, northern Mexico
Habitat: Subtropical woodlands, particularly in the pine-oak transition zones; often in riparian areas.
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of several trees; adults feed on tree sap, primarily of Fraxinus velutina (Arizona ash).
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other large dynastines, D. grantii exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. Males have pronounced cephalic and pronotal horns while females lack horns. Dynastes grantii often has longer horns than its congener in the eastern United States, D. tityus.

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Species: Paralithodes camtschaticus (Tilesius, 1815)
Common names(s): Alaskan king crab; red king crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Yasei Strap Figure Collection
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Legspan 5.2 cm. Carapace width approx. 1.5 cm for a scale of 1:4.6-1:18.7.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our third time seeing P. camtschaticus in the Museum. As the name of the set suggests, this figure came as a 'strap' figure. Luckily, the strap was easily unscrewed leaving a tiny, unobtrusive hole.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern Pacific, including the Japan, Okhotsk, and Bering Seas and the Gulf of Alaska; introduced to the Barents Sea
Habitat: Benthic; at depths of 0-461 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Paralithodes camtschaticus is probably the most coveted commercially sold crustacean, and is the most expensive by weight. However, harvesting Alaskan king crabs is extremely dangerous and is currently ranked as the most dangerous job in the United States! There is an estimated 300 fatalities per 100,000 fisherman annually. Alaskan king crab season is between October and January in frigid northern waters. Most deaths are attributed to drowning and hypothermia, but also operating equipment needed to haul the catch up.

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