The elephant seals (Mirounga spp.) are easily among the most visually striking pinnipeds. Two species respectively inhabitat the coasts of the North Pacific (M. angustirostris) and Southern Hemisphere (M. leoninae). Elephant seals exhibit the most extreme sexual dimorphism amongst pinnipeds and most mammals.
Author: Callmejoe3
All reviews by this author
Sperm Whale, adult and calf (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection by Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (8 votes)
For author’s summary of species look here
This will be the last review of a cetacean species from the Monterey Bay Aquarium collection, the sperm whale adult and calf pair.
The adult female measures 29 cm, which corresponds to an 11.6 m whale at the marketed 1:40 scale. Above, you can see it scales well with the Safari Sea Life giant squid (24.5 cm/9.8 m) and the CollectA basking shark (22 cm/ 8.8 m).
Northern Fur Seal (Enoshima Aquarium Series 2 by Kaiyodo)
5 (4 votes)
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.
Muskox (Wildlife by CollectA)
5 (11 votes)
For author’s summary of species look here
Over this past year, I’ve made the choice to replace my Schleich Muskox with CollectA’s version. With a shoulder height of about 6.5cm, this figure roughly belongs to the 1:18-1:23 scale. This places it well within the range of most other figures of large terrestrial animals.
Killer Whale, adult and calf (Monterey Bay Aquarium by Safari Ltd.)
5 (4 votes)
For the author’s overview of this species, please see this review
Despite many killer whale figures having been produced, it has been about 2 years since I’ve last covered this species. Most of them tend to fall short of my standards, but maybe things will be different for the Monterey Bay Aquarium series that rarely leaves me disappointed.
Green Iguana (Wildlife by CollectA)
4.8 (5 votes)
Aside from large crocodilians and tortoises, one of the most iconic reptiles of the Americas would be the green iguana (Iguana iguana). Green iguanas are native to South and Central America with invasive populations in parts of North America and the Caribbean. Taxonomy within this species has been controversial, with the current convention being the recognition of tentative subspecies.
Blue Whale (Scientific Art Sculptures by PNSO)
4.3 (6 votes)
74 years ago from this very day, Lt. Col. Waldon C. Winston witnessed and documented what he noted as the largest whale to have ever been weighed. Winston was aboard the Kyo Maru No.6. during the 1947/48 Antarctic whaling season as an observer to ensure the Japanese whalers complied with the International Whaling Regulations and directives issued by General Douglass MacArthur.
Bottlenose Dolphin, adult and calf (Monterey Bay Aquarium by Safari Ltd)
3.7 (3 votes)
A creature that needs no introduction, the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The common bottlenose dolphin is a very widely-distributed species, covering the temperate and tropical waters of the world. With the species-level taxonomy still in revision, the Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus) was split from T.truncatus in 2000 and 3 subspecies are currently recognized: the common subspecies (T.t.truncatus) Lahille’s (T.t.gephyreus), Black sea bottlenose dolphins (T.t.ponticus).
Great Hammerhead Shark (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection from Safari Ltd)
4.7 (3 votes)
The great white may be the most popular shark through its name, but another species probably has a more iconic appearance. Even the least knowledgeable will fail to confuse this fish with another species, the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran). The great hammerhead is the largest of the Sphyrnidae family of hammerhead sharks, well known for their cephalofoil heads.
Pacific White-Sided Dolphin (Monterey Bay Aquarium Collection by Safari Ltd.)
5 (3 votes)
While the more popular cetacean species exist in most parts of the world, there exist many that are confined to their own little corner of the ocean, such as the North Pacific white-sided dolphin (Sagmatias obliquidens). These dolphins exist across the entire span of the North Pacific.
South African Penguin (Sealife by CollectA)
5 (4 votes)
It’s July in the South Africa and mating season for its penguins, the males begin calling out with their harsh braying. A local bystander hears this and decides the perfect name to call this bird…
Alas, the South African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), is unfortunately dubbed the ”Jackass Penguin” for its donkey-like sounds.
Alas, the South African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), is unfortunately dubbed the ”Jackass Penguin” for its donkey-like sounds.
Blue Whale (Mega Sofubi Advance by Kaiyodo)
4.4 (8 votes)
There are many iterations of a fabled, island-sized sea monster across various cultures, which were in no doubt inspired by early accounts of animals such as the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Blue whales exist in all major oceans, but precise distributions are patchy and their migratory movements are poorly understood.
Sei Whale (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
5 (3 votes)
Off the Norwegian coasts, a species of whale is known to appear alongside schools of pollock, thus the sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is aptly named the ”pollock whale” in their language. Though recent genetic studies warrant the revision of the Balaenoptera genus, data shows that the sei whale is the blue whale’s (B.
Muskox, 2004 (Wild Life Arctic and Antarctic by Schleich)
4 (2 votes)
Within the Bovidae family, among the most interesting may be the last of the ovibovines, the muskox (Ovibovis moschatus). The muskox’s name is misleading, as it’s actually a closer relative of sheep and goats rather than cattle. The name refers to the musk emitted by males during seasonal rut, which serves to attract females.
Devil Fish/Skate (AAA)
3.5 (4 votes)
This Saturday, shark week will take a slight detour into skates, covering this alleged ”Devil Fish”. Skates are the group of batoids belonging to the Rajiformes order. They appear to resemble sting rays but can be distinguished by their thicker and shorter tails that lack the venomous spines. Skates are found all across the world in both marine environments and even estuaries.