Mathison Museum of Natural History - Prehistoric Edition

[SidB]

I always had mixed feelings about this sculpt. Loved it from the ankles up, but not from the them down. This was fabricated during the "clown feet" epoch.

[bmathison1972]

I always had mixed feelings about this sculpt. Loved it from the ankles up, but not from the them down. This was fabricated during the "clown feet" epoch.

I don't mind the large feet here; they are not egregiously large and they allow reliable stability for an interesting pose!

[SidB]

I always had mixed feelings about this sculpt. Loved it from the ankles up, but not from the them down. This was fabricated during the "clown feet" epoch.

I don't mind the large feet here; they are not egregiously large and they allow reliable stability for an interesting pose!

I might be 'clownophobic'.

[Gwangi]

I still think that Safari's is one of the better Acrocanthosaurus figures around. Yes, I even like it more than PNSO's. The only one I like better is the Kaiyodo Dinotales.

[Stegotyranno420]

I feel like Safari would remake this in the next 5 years. Hopefully with a similar colour

I still think that Safari's is one of the better Acrocanthosaurus figures around. Yes, I even like it more than PNSO's. The only one I like better is the Kaiyodo Dinotales.

Is it the colour that makes you prefer it?

I always had mixed feelings about this sculpt. Loved it from the ankles up, but not from the them down. This was fabricated during the "clown feet" epoch.

I don't mind the large feet here; they are not egregiously large and they allow reliable stability for an interesting pose!

I might be 'clownophobic'.

Haha, theres a new -"phobia" each day 
But yes I resent clown-feet on theropods too

[Halichoeres]

It's just a bit small for my scale preferences, but otherwise I also like it better than PNSO's. And I agree with @Gwangi that the Kaiyodo is exceptional!

[ceratopsian]

There is actually a term for fear of clowns, would you believe - coulrophobia.  But that of course is fear of the circus people.  I like "clownophobic" for our model world!

[SidB]

There is actually a term for fear of clowns, would you believe - coulrophobia.  But that of course is fear of the circus people.  I like "clownophobic" for our model world!

'Coulrophobia' eh - learn something every day!

[Gwangi]

I feel like Safari would remake this in the next 5 years. Hopefully with a similar colour

I still think that Safari's is one of the better Acrocanthosaurus figures around. Yes, I even like it more than PNSO's. The only one I like better is the Kaiyodo Dinotales.

Is it the colour that makes you prefer it?

I always had mixed feelings about this sculpt. Loved it from the ankles up, but not from the them down. This was fabricated during the "clown feet" epoch.

I don't mind the large feet here; they are not egregiously large and they allow reliable stability for an interesting pose!

I might be 'clownophobic'.

Haha, theres a new -"phobia" each day 
But yes I resent clown-feet on theropods too

The color is a part of it, yes. But it also matches best with what I mentally imagine Acrocanthosaurus to have looked like.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Pachydiscus sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 1
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Total figure height 4.5 cm. Diameter of shell approximately 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:25.9 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, assembly is required. With some species of Pachydiscus being transfered to other genera (including Parapuzosia), I found it hard to find a full size range for which to calculate scale. The scale above is based on the average size of the type species, P. neubergicus.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) in seas and oceans worldwide
Habitat: Marine; pelagic
Diet: Predator of marine fish and invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Some of the larger species of Pachydiscus were transferred to Parapuzosia, leaving more moderate and smaller-sized species in the former. Remaining Pachydiscus belong to two subgenera, Pachydiscus, which contains species with well-defined ribs throughout its shell, and Neodesmoceras, in which the ribs disappear early leaving a nearly smooth shell.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Dakosaurus maximus (Plieninger, 1846)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: PNSO
Series: Prehistoric Animal Models
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure approximately 14.0 cm across its widest points. Using mandible as a metric (n=3.0 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:27-1:29 (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The lower jaw is articulated. Two smaller versions of this genus were made by PNSO and Safari Ltd. The scale range above is based on specimen NHMUK, which has a complete skull and mandible, and SMNS 82043, which is the largest known specimen of D. maximus (or at least it was at the time of a 2012 analysis).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Jurassic (Oxfordian-Early Tithonian); probably in most seas and oceans at the time
Habitat: Marine; pelagic
Diet: Predator on other marine animals, such as large fish and other marine reptiles
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The large serrated and laterally-compressed teeth of Dakosaurus, in combination with the skulls which could anchor large adductor muscles, suggests the animal was an apex predator on larger prey, such as large fish or other large marine reptiles. The structures of the jaws and teeth suggest Dakosaurus could 'twist feed' by tearing chunks of flesh of large prey, rather than simply impaling and engulfing small fish.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Australopithecus afarensis Johnson et al., 1978

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Evolution of Men
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Height approximately 8.0 cm for an average scale of 1:20.6 for a male specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Australopithecus was also made by Kaiyodo twice and Safari Ltd. three times (including a model of a skull). Bullyland didn't specify a species, but I am assuming it's A. afarensis as it's the most popular and familiar species thanks in part to the 'Lucy' fossil (AL 288-1).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Pliocene of East Africa
Habitat: Open woodlands, grassland, shrubland, savanna, riparian areas
Diet: Leaves, fruit, nuts, seeds, tubers; possibly also insects and eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Not much is known about the cultural development of A. afarensis. The early hominid probably used simple tools, such as sticks, rocks, and animal bones; however, there is no evidence that these objects were modified to serve specific functions. Australopithecus afarensis was not clothed and did not use fire.

[Halichoeres]

Back when Bullyland was cool!

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Homo habilis Leakey et al., 1964
Common name(s): handy man

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Evolution of Men
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Height approximately 8.8 cm for a scale of 1:14.8 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only other figure of this species I am aware of is by Safari Ltd. for their similar Evolution of Man collection. The scale above is calculated based on a presumed average height of 130 cm for an adult male.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early Pleistocene of East and Southern Africa
Habitat: Grassland, savanna
Diet: General omnivore, including fruits, leaves, woody plants, and animal meat; meat was believed to have been acquired primarily by scavenging rather than hunting
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Homo habilis is credited with the Oldowan stone tool industry, and may have used stones to butcher and skin animals and crush bones. Homo habilis was not clothed and did not use fire. It has been suggested H. habilis was one of the first hominids to have lived in a monogamous society.

[bmathison1972]

Posting a bit early, but technically it's 8/4 on the ATB and DTB time clocks :-)

Species: †Pravitoceras sigmoidale Yabe, 1902

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Prehistoric World
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Vertical length of shell approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Since 2020, CollectA has exploded with a collection of interesting prehistoric invertebrates (including a couple species that are extant but have familiar prehistoric affinities). Today's is among several that are unique to the toy and figure market.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of present-day Japan; probably widely distributed in seas and oceans at the time
Habitat: Marine; pelagic to benthopelagic
Diet: Presumably predaceous on smaller animals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: It has been suggested that the S-shaped shell of Pravitoceras allowed it to swim with less drag than ammonites with more irregularly-coiled shells (e.g., Nipponites).

[Halichoeres]

So glad CollectA is exploring invertebrates. There's functionally limitless potential!

[bmathison1972]

So glad CollectA is exploring invertebrates. There's functionally limitless potential!

me too, and they are doing good work with them, too!

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Wiwaxia corrugata Walcott, 1911

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Favorite Co. Ltd.
Series: Cambrian Creatures Mini Model - Burgess Shale Series
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Body length 4.8 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Other figures of this species were produced by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and Cadbury (Yowies Lost Kingdoms), the latter of which has quite a festive color scheme.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early to Middle Cambrian (Stage 3 to Wuliuan); probably in most seas and oceans at the time
Habitat: Marine, benthic
Diet: Unknown; presumably bacteria and other microorganisms in the microbial mat on the sea floor
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The phylogenetic relationship of Wiwaxia to other animals, particularly extant clades, is unknown. It was initially described as a polychaete annelid worm. Other proposals have included a crown-group polychaete, stem-group annelid, or a primitive mollusk. The most recent theories favor Wiwaxia being a mollusk based on the structure of its mouthparts.

[Halichoeres]

This set of miniatures was probably the coolest thing Favorite ever made. They should give Tokugawa more work.

As for the Yowie Wiwaxia, I always thought it looked like a kid's birthday cake, candles and everything!

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Euproops danae (Meek & Worthen, 1865)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Paleocasts
Series: unknown (see below)
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length 4.0 cm for a scale of 1.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: Paleocasts is a line of prehistoric animals, mainly invertebrates, produced by artist Patrick May and sold on Etsy in the U.S. (although at the time of this writing, I am not sure if he is still active). The figures can usually be purchased finished or unfinished. If I remember correctly, this small horseshoe crab was an accessory to a Tullimonstrum figure (along with Paleolimulus), but was sold to me individually. Both horseshoe crabs came in light (as seen today) and dark finishes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Carboniferous of present-day North America
Habitat: Coal forest wetlands and swamps; freshwater to brackish, benthic
Diet: Presumably predaceous on benthic aquatic invertebrates, possibly terrestrial invertebrates as well (see below)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The presence of fossils of E. danae among the fossils of strictly terrestrial plants and animals suggests that the horseshoe crab may have ventured onto land, more so than seen with extant marine species, probably crawling among moist litter on the forest floor, on low vegetation in the undergrowth, or on floating mats of debris.