Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Happy Shark Week to everyone who loves sharks! This is the time of year where TV programs go out of their way to showcase shark-based programs, most notably Discovery Channel and National Geographic. These programs help open the doors to knowledge on these animals and help the general public understand, instead of fear, these misunderstood creatures, although some programs may over sensationalize rather than give true facts.
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.
Back with another less familiar sharks for Animal Toy Blog Shark Week 2022! Well, a few days ago I introduced an odd little figure that went to the dog(shark)s so today lets balance it it out with a cat(shark). This one is a less familiar figure from a less familiar Japanese company…of a less familiar shark!
Today’s Shark Week review is going to cover the stingray that was produced by Safari Ltd. in 2020 as part of their Incredible Creatures line. I know, I know, stingrays are not technically sharks, but here at the Animal Toy Blog we celebrate all kinds of cartilaginous critters during Shark Week!
Walk-around of the retired Safari Ltd. Wild Safari Sealife crocodile shark, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai (Matsubara, 1936), originally released in 1997. Total length is 169 mm, scale approx. 1:5 – 1:6. The eyes are very large (and have that white spot, too) – which is accurate, though, it’s not only the smallest lamniform shark but also apparently stays at depths below 200 m during the day and comes nearer to the surface only at night.
So, it’s Shark Week again and once more I rise up from my own thing to bring in a couple of unusual shark models. Because I can never just bring up a more familiar figure because that’s too easy! So I’m going to look at a tiny little figure that just happens to represent a pretty tiny shark!
It’s Shark Week once again, the Discovery Channel’s weeklong marathon of shark documentaries that has been 34 years running. So popular is Shark Week that it’s practically a national holiday here in the United States. National Geographic has gotten in on the action too with their own Shark Fest which celebrates the cartilaginous fishes with an entire month of shark content this year.
It is my great pleasure today to introduce my readers to one of my holy grail collectibles, the razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) by Safari Ltd. This figure is one of a set of 6 produced by Safari Ltd. for the Marsh & Associates Native Fish Lab, all of which represent endangered fishes native to Arizona, USA.
Welcome to another “Savanah Summer”! Being a large continent, there are many places where Africa connects to oceans, in fact both the Pacific and Indian oceans are there. Thus, there is a huge amount of aquatic life, be it mammals, birds and, naturally, fish. Fish never tend to be as popular on toy shelves (unless it’s part of the shark family), so it’s always nice when a company makes more common fish.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Japan has produced many well made animal figures for both accurate and for comical situations, like animals at work or sleeping animals. In these scenarios, it’s usually land mammals that get these treatment, but occasionally reptiles, birds, and fish will join the roster.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Kaiyodo is a well known brand in Japan and throughout the world for their often small but highly detailed figures. They do make well known species but where they truly shine is in their unique and obscure species, especially in the Choco Q, Natural Monuments of Japan, Dinotales, and Aquatales lines.
Review and images by EpicRaptorMan; edited by bmathison1972
This is one of my favorite shark species, made by CollectA (88614), the leopard shark! Er…wait that isn’t right…my editor is telling me it is actually a zebra shark!? Which dunderhead decided that was a good name? Well, apparently there is quite the fascinating story behind this common name.
With recent discussions on the STS forum on the identity of Play Visions’ Tropical Fish collection from 1996, I was inspired to review the set on the Blog! These figures are all marked with very generic common names, and the species-level identifications are all community-based. If anyone can offer up better identifications, let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The deep ocean is one of the most inhospitable habitats on this planet, and animals have to find extreme ways to adapt or die out. For one, sunlight only goes as low as 1000 m, although any significant light rarely goes to 200 m, which means that there are no plants to photosynthesize and in turn, no plants for herbivores to graze on.
