Blacktip Reef Shark (Marine Life by Papo)

The blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) is one of the most recognizable sharks, a staple in aquariums that frequents shallow coral reefs in the wild, which makes it popular among tourists and SCUBA divers. The blacktip reef shark is a generally timid species with only 11 unprovoked attacks and 21 attacks total to its name, none of them fatal. Because of its popularity there are several figures representing the species with those by CollectA, Safari, and Papo still in production. For my own collection I went with the Papo figure, released in 2018. The only other Papo shark I’ve reviewed is their bull shark which received high praise, let’s see how this one does.

The blacktip reef shark is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is particularly common around islands in the Pacific Ocean where its preferred habitat is clear, shallow water around coral reefs, sand flats, and the edges of continental shelves. They live alone or in small groups and feed on small bony fishes, cephalopods and other mollusks, crustaceans, and the occasional sea snake or bird.

Blacktip reef sharks reach an average length of about 5’ (152cm) and an absolute maximum of 6’ (182cm). The Papo blacktip reef shark measures 6” (15.24cm) which puts it at 1/10-1/12 in scale. The blacktip reef shark belongs to the Carcharhiniformes order, the largest order of sharks with over 270 species, 35 of which belong to the Carcharhinus genus, including the blacktip.

This figure is presented with a closed mouth, in a static pose with a gentle leftward bend of the tail and rightward bend of the upper lobe of the caudal fin. It has that classic, sleek shark body plan. The snout is appropriately short and blunt, and five gill slits are sculpted on each side. The pectoral fins are appropriately large, falcate, and pointed, and the alignment of the fins appears correct with the dorsal fin originating over the free tips of the pectoral fins and the second dorsal directly over the anal fin. The lack of claspers attached to the pelvic fins indicates that this shark is a female.

The only error I can find, anatomically, is that the pupils are round when they should be horizontally oval. Safari’s figure makes this mistake too and although I’m unsure about CollectA’s, that figure has far more egregious issues, namely the overall length of its body being far too long. I also wish more attention was paid to the flaps that ought to be over each nostril but that and the eyes are minor nitpicks that don’t influence my overall opinion of this toy.

This blacktip reef shark is brownish gray dorsally and white on the underside with a white band running from the anal fin upwards towards the pectoral fins. All the fins are tipped in vibrant jet black with the dorsal and caudal fins edged in white. The underside of the pectoral fins are edged in brown. Perhaps my only real complaint about the figure is that the dorsal coloration cuts up and around the gills in an awkward way. Certainly, the figure would have looked better if the colors were blended together, or if the dorsal coloration was just painted across the gills.

For me, the Papo blacktip reef shark was the right choice to make. I like it significantly more than CollectA’s and it slightly edges out the still decent Safari toy. The Papo blacktip reef shark is currently in production and retails for $7-10. Papo doesn’t have too many sharks in their lineup but those that they do have, have proven quite excellent. I hope Papo tackles other shark species in the future.