Northern Fur Seal (Enoshima Aquarium Series 2 by Kaiyodo)

The northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) is among the most widespread otariids of the North Pacific. This species, like other ”fur seals”, is more closely related to sea lions than to ”true seals”. This species is mostly pelagic, living across the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Sea of Okhotsk. They mostly come to land when it’s time for breed. Northern fur seals are very sexually dimorphic, with males reaching up to 2.1m and nearly 200 kg while females measure 1.2-1.5m and around 50kg. Legal protections have enabled species to recover to over one million individuals after suffering heavy depletion from the commercial fur trade. This species feeds primarily on pelagic fish and predators includes sharks and killer whales.

This review will mark the blog’s first coverage for the northern fur seal. First thing I want to address is the pedestal. I found it a little finicky to assemble the plastic pole with the base and the figure. To keep it secure and stable, I added some hardware putty to the top of the base. Based on the shape of the head and the lack of a thick mane, this figure appears to be an adult female.

The northern fur seal measures about 6cm, placing it within the 1:20-1:25 scale range for a typical adult female. Pairing this figure to the Papo elephant seal and the Safari Ltd’s. MBA female sperm whale shows it can also work well visually with 1:40 scale animals.

Despite it’s small size, this figure still possess some texturing for the fur and the overall anatomy is very accurate. I like the dynamic pose as I like to arrange my marine collection as if they’re actively swimming, akin to museum displays.

Overall, the paint job for the fur appears to be very accurate to the the real animal, with the flippers being darker than the main body. Whiskers are also painted on, which at this scale manages to avoid looking tacky. The eyes are also well-done.

The Kaiyodo Enoshima Aquarium line appears to have provided a very suitable offering for a not commonly-depicted species. I generally see no issues with it and it’s at an ideal scale for most figures of large marine animals. While this figure is retired, it’s not too difficult to find in the second-hand market. I would recommend those interested to buy one for themselves before it’s too late.