It’s a shark! No, wait, it’s a ray! It’s a shark-ray! Although all ray in the front and all shark in the back the shark ray (Rhina ancylostoma) really is a species of ray, but in appearance it looks like some kind of transitional form, making it easy to see the close relationship between sharks and rays.
Brand: Wild Safari Sealife
Shortfin Mako Shark, 1997 (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
4.4 (5 votes)
Although the great white shark is without dispute the most popular of sharks it’s the closely related shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) that might be the most quintessential of all shark species. It’s as streamlined and graceful as they come, an efficiently evolved animal that might just be, the perfect shark.
Shortfin Mako Shark, 2017 (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
4.4 (11 votes)
Shark Week may be over but after posting two back-to-back sharks I wanted to keep this ball rolling for at least a couple more reviews. Plus, it’s Shark Week as I write this, so I’m still feeling sharky. Today we’re looking at the 2017 shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) by Safari Ltd.
Silky Shark (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
4.6 (12 votes)
The silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) is a species of requiem shark found in tropical and subtropical seas around the world. They inhabit the epipelagic zone near continental shelves and deepwater reefs where they feed on bony fishes, cephalopods, and the occasional crustacean. They are known to be active and inquisitive and are considered potentially dangerous to humans but given their preferred habitat, encounters are rare.
Sperm Whale, 2019 (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
4.7 (6 votes)
Review and images by Cachalot; edited by bmathison1972
Recently I have gotten interested in sea animals, whales in particular. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is my favorite; it is an animal of extremes. It has the largest brain on earth, 17 to 20 pounds. There are music ditties about this creature being brainy.
Thresher Shark (Wild Safari Sea Life by Safari Ltd.)
4 (3 votes)
The sharks of the genus Alopias, within the family Alopiidae, are among the oddest and most recognizable sharks. Commonly known as the thresher sharks there are 3 extant species: the pelagic, common, and bigeye thresher. Their exceptionally long tail has long been the stuff of myth and speculation.
Tiger Shark (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
3.8 (6 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is one of the largest predatory sharks, with some females growing up to five metres in length and weighing over a ton. It has the widest diet of any known shark; it hunts fish, other sharks, crustaceans, mollusks, sea birds, seals, sea lions, dugongs, dolphins, sea snakes, and sea turtles, the latter being a particular favourite.
Vaquita Porpoise (Wild Safari Sea Life by Safari Ltd)
5 (5 votes)
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) has the distinction of being the smallest and most endangered cetacean in the world. In the last 22 years the population of vaquita has dropped from 567 to roughly 10 individuals. The vaquita, like so many marine species, is not targeted specifically but ends up as bycatch in gill nets set for other species, in this case the similarly sized totoaba fish (Totoaba macdonaldi) which is itself also critically endangered.
Walrus (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
4.4 (12 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Thanks to its wonderful whiskers and tusks, the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is the most unique and recognizable out of all the 33 extant pinnipeds. Many toys of this massive beast have been made over the decades; here we shall be examining the Wild Safari Sealife version from 2005.
Whale Shark (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
3.8 (4 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The appropriately named whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the biggest shark and the biggest fish alive today. The largest recorded specimen was a female with a length of 18.8 metres (62 feet), which is greater than that of many actual whales.
Whitetip Reef Shark (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
5 (5 votes)
Quite a few shark species go by the name “reef shark”. Blacktip, Caribbean, grey, and the subject of today’s review, the whitetip. But while all those sharks belong to the Carcharhinus genus, the whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) does not. But these sharks are not called reef sharks because they’re related.
Zebra Shark (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
5 (4 votes)
When we think of sharks it is usually species like the great white, tiger, or bull sharks that immediately come to mind. If not those particular species there is at least the generic idea of what a shark looks like and indeed, many species fit that mold. But sharks are an incredibly diverse group of animals that come in all shapes and sizes in order to fit into whatever niche they’re a part of.