Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Strix nebulosa Forster, 1772
Common name(s): great grey owl (British); great gray owl (American)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wings of the World
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate due to the pose, but body length approx. 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:7.6-1:10.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure replaced the 2010 version by Bullyland in my collection, mainly because of an improvement in color, texture, and facial patterning. Naturalism also produced a nice version in 2021, but their figures can be challenging to find outside of China.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Holarctic, boreal
Habitat: Montane coniferous forests, taiga, mixed-oak woodlands, poplar woodlands; often near tundra barrens, marshes, bogs, meadows, and taiga
Diet: Primarily small rodents; also shrews, moles, mustelids, small and medium-sized birds, frogs, large insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The large facial disk of S. nebulosa, referred to as a 'ruff', helps focus sound. This, in combination with the asymmetrical placement of their ears, increases their chances of detecting prey in darkness or poor light. Their increased sense of hearing also allows the owl to detect prey moving up to 60 cm beneath snow. This habit of catching prey beneath snow (snow-plunging) is, among owls, unique to S. nebulosa and on occasion other large members of the genus Strix.

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I finally got my hands on this owl. I was a bit worried about the face paint but in the end you were right, it's great work. Since they're nearly in the same scale, the Safari ltd will replace the Bullyland.

Species: †Ceraurinella typa Cooper, 1953

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: The Study Room
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Base 6.5 cm long. Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 4.5. Using pygidium as a metric (n=1.5 cm), scale comes to approx. 2.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure is made of resin and the trilobite is permanently affixed to its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Ordovician of present-day Canada
Habitat: Marine, benthic
Diet: Presumably scavenger or predator on soft-bodied benthic invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty finding information on this species, including helpful metrics to calculate its scale.

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Species: Grylloblatta sp.
Common name(s): ice crawler; ice insect; rock crawler

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Wild Republic - Insects Nature Tube
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 6.0 cm for a scale of 4:1-2:1 depending on the species
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare (unique as a sculpt, see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: This is a mysterious figure with a mysterious pedigree I haven't quite figured out. First of all, the identification is my own. While not perfect for a grylloblattid, I cannot find a better match. I cannot tell if the inner paired structures at the posterior end are an extra pair of cerci (which isn't really correct for anything) or an exaggerated split ovipositor (which would lend more support for a grylloblattid). I have seen eBay dealers selling the figure (or a slight variation of the sculpt) as an earwig (Dermaptera), but it looks even less like an earwig. This K&M figure came out in the early 2000s, but it is probably not the original. I have seen, and previously owned, the sculpt (or slight variations of it) from a few dollar store/bin sets. Most of the sculpts in K&M's Insects Nature Tube can be found in generic insect sets as they probably partnered with a Chinese company that made sculpts for multiple distributors (some of the same sculpts can be found in Safari Ltd.'s original Insects TOOB, for example). Regardless, this is the only figure I retained from K&M's tube, because of its uniqueness as a grylloblattid.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northwestern USA and western Canada
Habitat: High-altitude and high-latitude ice caves and glaciers
Diet: Predator of soft-bodied invertebrates and scavenger on insects that have died on, or been wind blown onto, ice and snow
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [no species have been accessed by the IUCN]
Miscellaneous Notes: Grylloblattids are cold-active animals. They are mostly nocturnal or active during the day when the temperatures are below freezing, feeding on organisms such as collembolans (springtails) or insects that fall on the ice and snow and die or wind blown onto the ice and snow.

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Species: Eupatorus birmanicus Arrow, 1908
Common name(s): rabbit beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Beetles Vol. 5
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body approx. 6.5 cm for a scale of 1.3:1-1.1:1 (slightly over 1:1 for a large major male; see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen E. birmanicus in the Museum. The last time, back in December of 2020 (in the very earliest days of this thread), it was a figure by DeAgostini which at the time was unique for the species. Today's model by Bandai is large and requires assembly. I had difficulty finding metrics to calculate a scale and the above scale is based on a range of 4.8-6.0 cm, which is based on measurements of specimens available for sale online.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia (Myanmar and Thailand)
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Unknown. Presumably, larvae feed in rotting logs or in organic detritus in soil; adults, if they feed, are probably attracted to sap flows or overripe fruit.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Breeders and collectors often refer to this species as 'rabbit beetle' or 'rabbit ear beetle' because of the two upright pronotal horns that looks somewhat like rabbit ears. The species is sexually dimorphic, and only males possess these 'rabbit ears'.

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Species: Pachygrapsus crassipes Randall, 1840
Common name(s): striped shore crab; lined shore crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Habitat Earth - Crabs
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Carapace width approx. 1.3 cm for a scale of 1:3.1-1:3.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a sculpt, see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: Several of Play Visions' crabs have been copied or used by other distributors, most notably PEC; I cannot remember whether or not this was one of them.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Pacific Coast of North America, from British Columbia to Baja California with a disjunct population in the Korean Peninsula and Japan
Habitat: Rocky shores, tide pools; usually in the high and mid-intertidal ranges
Diet: Green algae, brown seaweed, marine invertebrates, carrion; cannibalism not uncommon
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Pachygrapsus crassipes has an interesting distribution pattern. The main population occurs on rocky coasts of western North America, from Oregon to Baja California. The small population on Vancouver Island is believed to be disjunct, although it doesn't seem to be affected by founder effect (when a small group from a larger population establishes a new population and loses genetic diversity). The population on Vancouver Island also appears to be shrinking and it is unsure if it ever will become a permanent resident on the island. More interesting is the population around the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It was always assumed the population was introduced, presumably accidentally, from larval crabs hitching a ride on ships. However, genetic evidence suggests the migration to northeastern Asia occurred during the Late Pleistocene, long before humans had marine transport. One theory is that fluctuating sea levels during the Pleistocene, some of which may have been 120-140 meters lower than they are today, may have revealed terrains that would have allowed the crabs to easily disperse north and westward. Another theory is, of course, the use of natural rafts (e.g. tree branches) as vehicles for larval transport.

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Species: Mecynorhina ugandensis Moser, 1907

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Stasto
Series: 3D File - Ladybugs & Cetoniines
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length (including cephalic horn) approx. 7.2 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Stasto 3D File figures have an ingenious design for distribution that minimizes packaging. There are eight figures in a collection. Two figures come connected to form their own gashapon capsule. The two figures are separated by gently twisting them. Once apart, the bottom of the figure extends, revealing the legs and antennae. The legs and antennae are extended and placed in the desired position and then the body is closed back up, revealing the final product. I reviewed one of their products on the Animal Toy Blog here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Africa (Uganda, DRC)
Habitat: Tropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood or compost; adults are attracted to sap and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Mecynorhina ugandensis is in the subgenus Mecynorrhinella along with M. oberthueri and M. torquata and is often considered a subspecies of the latter.

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Great packaging. Nice that they come in two colours.

Species: †Anomalocaris canadensis Whiteaves, 1892

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: The Great Old Sea
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 9.5 cm for a scale of 1:3.6-1:4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fourth time we've seen A. canadensis in the Museum. Minimal assembly is required and the final product has some articulations. Interestingly, this is one of the most accurate representations of this species available! The Great Old Sea collection, or variations of it, are released almost annually and an Anomalocaris was also released in 2022 (and possibly again since then, I've lost track). I am not sure whether or not it is the same sculpt with a repaint, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early to mid-Cambrian of present-day Canada
Habitat: Marine, pelagic
Diet: Presumably soft-bodied marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Anomalocaris canadensis is believed to have been a pelagic predator. It moved through the water column by undulating the flexible flaps along the side of its body. With each flap slightly sloped below the next one posterior to it, it allowed the line of flaps to function as a single long lateral fin, maximizing efficiency. Model reconstructions show this mode of swimming to be intrinsically stable.

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Species: †Lingwulong shenqi Xu et al., 2018

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: PNSO
Series: Prehistoric Animal Models
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Total figure length approx. 49.0 cm. Using front right tibia as a metric (n=3.0 cm) scale comes to approx. 1:37.5 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The scale above is calculated based on the front right tibia using the illustration in the original description. The species was described from individuals of different developmental stages so the scale above, assuming I did it right to begin with, should be taken with caution. It's probably fine for the advertised scale of 1:35.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early to Middle Jurassic (late Toarcian-Bajocian) of present-day East Asia
Habitat: Open coniferous and fern woodlands and adjacent riparian areas
Diet: Plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Lingwulong shenqi is believed to be one of the oldest known diplocodoids. It is currently placed basal in the family Dicraeosauridae and split from a shared ancestor with Dicraeosaurus and Amargasaurus in the late Toarcian (Jurassic) roughly 174 MYA.

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Species: Conraua goliath (Boulenger, 1906)
Common name(s): goliath frog; goliath bullfrog; giant slippery frog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Red Data Animals
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length (SVL) approx. 4.2 cm for a scale of 1:3.4-1:7.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The frog comes with a habitat-style base that it sits loosely on (see inset). The base didn't really work with the diorama I wanted to photograph the figure in, so I chose to do it as an inset.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Africa (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea)
Habitat: Lowland rainforest, usually associated with rivers and waterfalls with rich, clean, and slightly acidic water
Diet: Tadpoles are specialists on the aquatic plant Dicraea warmingii; adults feed on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and other amphibians
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Conraua goliath is the largest extant frog in the world, with some individuals reaching weights of 3.3 kg and having an SVL of up to 32 cm.

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Well Mine is on the 1/8 floor as a big Goliath frog.

Kikimalou wrote:

Well  Mine is on the 1/8 floor as a big Goliath frog.

close enough

Species: Golofa porteri Hope, 1837

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - small series, DX
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. cephalic horn) approx. 3.4 cm. Front femur approx. 0.7 cm for a scale of 1:3.4 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen G. porteri in the Museum. I had difficulty researching information on the metrics of this species. One website indicates the length is 5-10 cm, but I do not know if that includes the cephalic horn or not. A published study describing an example of teratology in G. porteri indicates the length of a normal front femur is 2.4 cm.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central America and northern South America, from Guatemala to Venezuela
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting wood; adults have been documented feeding on Chusquea (South American bamboo)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on this species. In Colombia, adults have been observed feeding and mating on Chusquea. Males use their elongated pronotal and cephalic horns in combat to secure feeding sites and mates.

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bmathison1972 wrote:

Species: †Lingwulong shenqi Xu et al., 2018

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: PNSO
Series: Prehistoric Animal Models
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Total figure length approx. 49.0 cm. Using front right tibia as a metric (n=3.0 cm) scale comes to approx. 1:37.5 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The scale above is calculated based on the front right tibia using the illustration in the original description. The species was described from individuals of different developmental stages so the scale above, assuming I did it right to begin with, should be taken with caution. It's probably fine for the advertised scale of 1:35.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early to Middle Jurassic (late Toarcian-Bajocian) of present-day East Asia
Habitat: Open coniferous and fern woodlands and adjacent riparian areas
Diet: Plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Lingwulong shenqi is believed to be one of the oldest known diplocodoids. It is currently placed basal in the family Dicraeosauridae and split from a shared ancestor with Dicraeosaurus and Amargasaurus in the late Toarcian (Jurassic) roughly 174 MYA.

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WOW, this prehistoric figure is really interesting. Big congratulations.

Species: Bubo bubo (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Eurasian eagle-owl; Uhu

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wings of the World
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Scale extremely difficult to measure due to the posture, but the body length (including tail feathers as presented here) comes to approx. 10.0 cm for a scale of 1:5.6-1:7.5. Other potential metrics (total bill length, tarsus) are not fully exposed to use reliably.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Probably considered one of the best examples of this species outside of Japan, it may get some competition when Papo releases one later this year.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eurasia
Habitat: Highly variable, including coniferous and mixed forests, mountain ranges, riverbeds, deserts, grasslands, farmland; often around rocky landscapes, especially when breeding
Diet: Primarily small mammals, but also birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and large insects and other invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Bubo bubo essentially fills the same ecological role as the great horned owl (B. virginianus) in the New World. The great horned owl and the snowy owl (B. scandiacus) are probably sister taxa and split from a common ancestor a little more than 4 MYA. The great horned and snowy owls split from the B. bubo complex in the Old World after colonizing the Americas and becoming isolated during the Pleistocene glacial cycles.

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