Whale Shark (Marine Life by Papo)

Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972

The carpet sharks (Orectolobiformes) includes some of the more interesting shark species in all shapes and sizes: cute bamboos, blinds, collared carpets, zebra sharks, the so called ‘walking shark’ (epualette shark), the sluggish nurse shark, the unpredictable and aggressive wobbegong, and the enormous whale shark (Rhincodon typus). The whale shark is named because of its gigantic size, which rivals the size of whales. Unlike it’s brethren, this shark is a filter feeder, along with the totally unrelated basking and megamouth sharks. This shark is the largest animal that isn’t a whale that is alive today, and is easily recognizable by its large size, flattened head, bluish, greyish, or brownish colour, and numerous light coloured spots and stripes on its back, which like our fingerprints, is unique on every single individual. They are without a doubt, the largest fish in the world, growing to an average of 800 cm and getting up to 1200 cm, although large, unconfirmed reports suggest giants up to 1800 cm. These giants live in warm waters all around the world, inhabiting coastal and oceanic habitats. These large fish mainly feed on krill, zooplankton, very small fish, and fish eggs. Despite their huge size, they pose no danger to anything larger than a krill and small fish, and remoras do swim around them as they offer protection from predators due to their intimidating large size. These sharks are some of the fastest growing fishes in the ocean, as their only defense would be their large size and thick skin. They are about 38 cm when born and are defenseless, being easy prey for marine mammals and large fish like marlins and other sharks. Adults, on the other hand, are preyed on by the occasional great white shark, as seen by remains of whale shark vertabrate found in the stomach of a great white, orcas, and, sadly, humans. These sharks are hunted illegally for their fins (sigh), liver, and oil, struck by boats, threatened by habitat loss, and ending up as bycatch. These sharks are now classed as Endangered by the IUCN. Due to their large size, only a few public aquarium houses them, despite them being relatively adaptable in captivity. The Osaka Kaiyukun, Okinawa Churaumi, and the Georgia Aquarium being the main 3 to keep and house these fish, and I’m kinda sad that I missed my chance to see these fish while visiting Osaka in 2017 because of my rage about anime at that time. Oh, once this pandemic is over, I will definitely book a flight to Japan ASAP so I can see my favourite shark species in person!!!

About the figure: this whale shark measures about 24.5 cm from the tip of the flattened about to the top of the caudal fin, and since this shark lacks claspers, this is meant to represent a female individual. This would put this figure between the 1:37 to 1:49 scale for a mature individual or 1:74 for the giant 1800 cm individuals. This figure was released in 2018 and interestingly, I was one of the people begging Papo to make a whale shark in 2016 by personally messaging them, and more than a year later, I jumped off my seat the second they revealed one.

The shark is sculpted turning its body to the right, and the most striking thing about this whale shark is that it is sculpted with its mouth wide open! Perhaps it’s feeding on krill or the eggs of other fish, like maybe dog snappers? This is the first large-scale whale shark with its mouth wide open as others are sculpted with their mouths slightly opened or totally closed. It is a nice touch, although the end of the mouth is painted black, which gives the illusion that it is hollow. The head shape looks correct and is of the right depth and the fins all seem to be in the correct shape, unlike the Papo great white, which has ridiculously tiny pelvic fins. It seems that Papo has learned their lesson on that with this whale shark and their upcoming megalodon.

The colouration of the main body is a light gray dorsally and a white underbelly. This is accurate to real whale sharks, although they can also exist in more of a bluish (shown here with the Monterey bay Aquarium figure by Safari Ltd, below) or brownish colour. It wouldn’t be a whale shark if it wasn’t for the spots and stripes speckled throughout the shark’s body. They are really precisely done on this figure and since Papo states that their figures are hand painted, that must be a lot of work and patience put into it, which does justify its higher price tag, being twice than or more than the other fish when sold individually that Papo has made so far, and more expensive than the slightly larger 2018 Sperm whale, even though the whale does have an articulated jaw. The only flaws I can find with this figure is that mine has a warped lower caudal fin.

Overall, this is the definitive figure of a whale shark and may be the best figure of a carpet shark to date. Papo’s infamous prehistoric life has seen a drip in quality, but their marine life still holds up, and this whale shark is high up there. If I have to say so myself, this is my favourite shark figure. The level of work and accuracy put into working in this figure is worth the price tag, and I am sure it will please anyone who is interested in sharks, young or old. Other good whale sharks to go with this is the 30 year old Safari Ltd. Monterey Bay Aquarium or, if you can track it down, the retired Schleich one. Papo also made a young Whale shark for those who have limited shelf space or just wants a baby to go with this magnificent beast.

Compared to a 1:30 scale Matsuura Kanan. Despite Kanan being dwarfed, this whale shark is still a minnow compared to how big they really get: