Mathison Museum of Natural History - Prehistoric Edition

[SidB]

We'll see how long Machairoceratops lasts as a distinct species from Diabloceratops. Tick, tick, tick ... .

[bmathison1972]

We'll see how long Machairoceratops lasts as a distinct species from Diabloceratops. Tick, tick, tick ... .

Then I'll have to decide which figure to keep. This one, or Safari Diablo? Most certainly Safari's 

[Concavenator]

We'll see how long Machairoceratops lasts as a distinct species from Diabloceratops. Tick, tick, tick ... .

Yeah I think that considering Machairoceratops its own separate taxon from Diabloceratops is a bit of a stretch.

Then I'll have to decide which figure to keep. This one, or Safari Diablo? Most certainly Safari's 

I would choose Diabloceratops over Machairoceratops too. The former is known from better remains, making it the more important taxon of the two.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Opabinia regalis Walcott, 1912

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Favorite Co. Ltd.
Series/Collection: Cambrian Creatures Mini Model - Burgess Shale Series
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Figure length 9.7 cm. Body length (excl. proboscis) approx. 6.5 cm for a scale of 1.6:1-1.1:1.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen O. regalis in the Museum. This is Favorite's second rendition of this species, following a larger version in their Soft Model series the year before. The animal is removable from its base. Like most figures of Opabinia, this model was produced before the current theory that the terminal claw on the proboscis was bilateral rather than being held vertical.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Cambrian (Wuliuan) of present-day Canada (British Columbia)
Habitat: Marine, benthic
Diet: Presumably soft-bodied marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The distinctive proboscis of O. regalis was believed to have been flexible, much like a vacuum cleaner hose. It's believed the animal would swim above the sea floor, moving its proboscis in a sweeping motion to scour sediment for benthic invertebrates and other potential food particles.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Eurypterus sp.
Common name(s): sea scorpion

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series/Collection: Dinotales Series 2
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:9.2 depending on the species
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, assembly is required and the eurypterid is removable from its based. With at least 12 described species, coming up with a reliable species-level identification for this figure would be challenging. The only other figures of this species I am aware of are resin figures by Paleozoo, as well as a game piece by Life (I don't typically include game pieces when determining a figure's frequency in the toy/figure market). The Kaiyodo figure, long retired, probably remains unique among traditional commercially-available figures.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Silurian; probably in most seas and oceans at the time
Habitat: Marine; shallow coastal and intertidal zones
Diet: Presumably soft-bodied invertebrates and/or carrion
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Eurypterus species were believed to swam in a similar method to modern portunid crabs and water beetles, using a drag-based rowing type of locomotion whereby their paddle-like appendages synchronously in near-horizontal planes. Trace evidence suggests they swam in close proximity to the sea floor, looking for prey or carrion. It is believed Eurypterus did not swim to hunt, but rather to moving between feeding and possibly breeding sites.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Cretoxyrhina mantelli (Agassiz, 1835)
Common name(s): Ginsu shark

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: PNSO
Series/Collection: Prehistoric Animal Models
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 19.0 cm for a scale of 1:26-1:42 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: With three described species, I cannot remember why I settled on this one. Probably because in the absence of evidence to the contrary, I typically go with the type species. Safari Ltd. produced this genus in 2011 as part of their Prehistoric Sharks TOOB, but unsure if it represents the same species. The scale above is calculated based on a body length of 5-8 meters

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Albian-Campanian); probably in most seas and oceans at the time
Habitat: Marine, pelagic
Diet: Apex predator on other marine animals, including mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, other sharks, large bony fish, pterosaurs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Cretoxyrhina is believed to have been one of the fastest swimming sharks, with hydrodynamic calculations suggesting cruising speeds of 12 km/h and burst speeds of 70 km/h. An apex predator, it has been speculated that Cretoxyrhina hunted by lunging at its prey at high speeds to inflict powerful blows, much like the extant great white shark.

[Halichoeres]

One of the best ancient shark figures ever made.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Ottoia prolifica Walcott, 1911

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series/Collection: Cambrian Life TOOB
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Body length (excl.) proboscis approx. 7.2 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Other than resin models by Paleozoo, the only other figure of this species I am aware of is a 2005 version by COG Ltd.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cambrian (Miaolingian–Furongian); probably in most seas and oceans of the time
Habitat: Marine, benthic; usually in muddy, sandy, and other soft substrates
Diet: Predator on benthic animals; probably also a scavenger. Cannibalism likely.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Ottoia prolifica is believed to be related to extant priapulid worms. And like modern priapulids, it is believed to have been a benthic hunter and scavenger on the ocean floor. It probably spent most of its time buried in and burrowing among the soft substrate and used an armed proboscis to hunt passing-by prey. It likely also scavenged on dead animals on the sea floor. Also, like modern priapulids, they likely hunted, or scavenged, conspecifics.