Mathison Museum of Natural History - Prehistoric Edition

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Cladoselache sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Prehistoric Sharks TOOB
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 10.0 cm for a scale of 1:10-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Kaiyodo also produced this genus (in two color forms) for their Dinotales line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Devonian (Famennian) of present-day North America
Habitat: Marine, pelagic
Diet: Fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Fossils of Cladoselache include stomach contents, so we know a little about its feeding habits. Among the animals hunted by the primitive chondrichthyian were the bony fish Kentuckia, hagfish-like proto-vertebrates, and shrimp-like crustaceans. Cladoselache shared its waters with other predatory fish such as the chondrichthyians Ctenacanthus and Stethacanthus and the large placoderm Dunkleosteus.

[Halichoeres]

Ah, remember Safari prehistoric Toobs? It's now officially been a decade since they released one.

[bmathison1972]

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...  (although their Oviraptor is tempting and I might pick it up at some point).

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.

[bmathison1972]

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 Fun (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.

[bmathison1972]

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 correlates 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.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Sinemys gamera Brinkman & Peng, 1993

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 1
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Carapace length approximately 3.5 cm. Using lateral spine as a metric (n=1.2 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:5 based on the holotype (IVPP V9532-1).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Albian) of present-day China
Habitat: Freshwater rivers and streams
Diet: Presumably omnivorous on freshwater invertebrates, fish, aquatic vegetation
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The long spines extending from the carapace of S. gamera are believed to be an example of neoteny, whereby juvenile features are retained into adulthood. Similar structures are seen on juveniles of the related S. lens.

[Halichoeres]

One of my first Kaiyodos, and still one of my favorites! I have the 1.2 paint scheme, though, which is a bit darker.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Paranthropus boisei (Leakey, 1959)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 2
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Height (excluding base) approximately 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:24 for a male specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required. The figure is removable from its base, but leaves small pegs under its feet.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early Pleistocene of East Africa
Habitat: Wet woodlands, riparian areas, wetlands, semi-arid woodlands, shrubland
Diet: Vegetation, such as grasses, sedges, roots, tubers, fruits; possibly meat (see below)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Fossils of P. boisei have been found in association with Oldowan stone tools and animal bones, suggesting a possible omnivorous diet. Paranthropus boisei did not wear clothes nor had a written language, and there is no evidence it could use or control fire.

[Halichoeres]

You: "There is no evidence it could use or control fire."

Paranthropus, grumpily: "What the hell did I get this stick for?"

[bmathison1972]

You: "There is no evidence it could use or control fire."

Paranthropus, grumpily: "What the hell did I get this stick for?"

For whacking snarky forum members on the noggin?          hahaha (kidding, of course)

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Pentaceratops sternbergii Osborn, 1923

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Haolonggood
Series: 1:35 Science and Art Model
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Total figure length (including horns) approximately 23.0 cm. Using skull as a metric (n=10.5 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:22 based on the holotype specimen AMNH 1624.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Like several of Haolonggood's models, today's Pentaceratops is not in the advertised scale of 1:35. It also comes in two colors, 'orange' (shown here) and 'black' (which was shown in Gwangi's excellent recent review of the figure on the Dinosaur Toy Blog). This genus has been made a handful of times. Other decent examples are those by Favorite (2016), Creative Beast Studio (2021), and Mattel (2021), the last two of which are quite large. It has also been made by Schleich (2014) and Papo (2019), but neither really meet the standards of many of today's toy dinosaur collectors.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of present-day western North America
Habitat: Grasslands, plains, scrubland, open forest, wetlands
Diet: Plants; probably cycads, ferns, conifers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Because of its large size and bulk, P. sternbergii probably had few natural predators. One likely predator was the tyrannosauroid, Bistahieversor sealeyi.

[SidB]

Ascribing this to the closely related Titanoceratops will bring the scale closer to the 1/30 mark, if one is so inclined to do so.

[Sim]

I've read that "Titanoceratops" fits in the expected growth series of ceratopsids as the fully mature form of Pentaceratops, if I'm remembeing right.

[SidB]

I've read that "Titanoceratops" fits in the expected growth series of ceratopsids as the fully mature form of Pentaceratops, if I'm remembeing right.

Well, that makes it a much better fit for my diorama. Good!

[Halichoeres]

Very nice figure. If I didn't have the Favorite one, it's the one I'd have opted for.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Ampelosaurus atacis Le Loeuff, 1995

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Haolonggood
Series: 1:35 Science and Art Model
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Total figure length approximately 39.5 cm. Using left ulna as a metric (n=2.5 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:29.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Described in 1995, Ampelosaurus has gotten some attention in recent years, with other figures by PNSO (mini, 2016), Mattel (2022), and expected releases later this year by Papo and CollectA (mini). Ampelosaurus is currently in the process of being redescribed after the discovery of another titanosaur (see below) that lived alongside it. It is quite likely that Haolonggood's reconstruction (and others produced at the time of this writing) will become outdated in the near future. Like other Haolonggood models, this one comes in two colors, 'charcoal' (shown here) and 'green'.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Early Maastrichtian) of present-day Europe
Habitat: Open woodlands, savanna, riparian areas, floodplains
Diet: Plants; probably palms and cycads
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: One of the most interesting features of A. atacis is the osteoderms that run down its back. It is currently believed there are at least three morphotypes of bulb and root osteoderms, and all three types can be present on the same individual animal. Current reconstructions of A. atacis favor a parasagittal arrangement of the larger osteoderms, with them changing in morphotype as they run down the animal's back. However, with the discovery of a second similar titanosaur from the same area where A. atacis fossils were discovered, researchers are not even sure now that osteoderms historically attributed to Ampelosaurus actually belong to that genus!

[Sim]

CollectA has made a non-mini Ampelosaurus too.  I think it was the first model ever of the animal.

[bmathison1972]

CollectA has made a non-mini Ampelosaurus too.  I think it was the first model ever of the animal.

Yes, but I don't consider it 'recent' (it is about 13 years old at this point).

[SidB]

CollectA has made a non-mini Ampelosaurus too.  I think it was the first model ever of the animal.

Yes, but I don't consider it 'recent' (it is about 13 years old at this point).

Now we have a Papo one coming down the pipe.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Dryopithecus fontani Lartet, 1856

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Evolution of Men
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Figure stands 6.5 cm tall. Using the humerus as a metric (n=2.0 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:13.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure was sculpted with a rock behind its right foot, probably to aid in stability.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle-Late Miocene (Serravallian-Tortonian) of present-day Europe
Habitat: Woodlands, wetlands
Diet: Fruit, honey; possibly leaves when fruit and honey were scarce
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Dryopithecus was a part of an adaptive radiation of great apes in the expanding forests of Europe in the warm climates of the Miocene Climatic Optimum. However, the evolutionary relatedness of Dryopithecus to other primates is a matter of debate. It is often considered an offshoot of the ancestor of what would become the African apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, humans). It has also been considered an offshoot of Ponginae (orangutans) or placed in its own clade (along with Oreopithecus) outside of Ponginae+Homininae.