Pygmy Sperm Whale (Sealife by CollectA)

Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972

Our latest cetacean review will shift its attention to a long-overlooked species, the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). The cetacean clade ‘’Physeteroidea’’, is one of the oldest lineages within the odontocete order. Its only extant members are the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the species within the Kogia genus. The pygmy sperm whale is an elusive animal, known mainly from stranded specimens and a few observations of live individuals in their natural habitat. These creatures inhabit warm and temperate pelagic waters across the world. They can dive at least 300m deep and they possess spermaceti organs like their larger cousins. Pygmy sperm whales have been historically confused with their even smaller sister species, the dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima), and their distinction as a separate species was not firmly resolved until 1966. Most individuals range from 2.7-3.5 meters in length and 315-450 kg in mass while maxing out at 3.8 meters and 515 kg. The conservation status of these creatures is data deficient, though the frequency of strandings suggests populations larger than the lack of sightings suggests. As many as 150,000 individuals of both Kogia species are estimated to reside in the eastern tropical Pacific with smaller populations in other areas. Whales of this genus are not subjected to large scale hunts, but small numbers are taken in the Caribbean and Asia. These animals may also be threatened by ocean debris, vessel strikes, bycatch, and noise pollution. Pygmy sperm whales feed primarily on deepwater squid, fish, and some shrimp. Reports confirm their predation by killer whales and scars suggest attacks from sharks. When threatened, these whales are known the excrete a reddish-brown fluid from a sac in the lower intestine, an analog to a cephalopod’s ink sac.

As a cetacean collector, when I hear ‘’CollectA’’, the first thing that comes to mind is not just the quality of their figures, but also their commitment to going beyond the ‘’usual suspects’’ that have been done to death by other brands like humpback whales, sperm whales, orcas, bottlenose dolphins, and belugas. CollectA has also released often ignored species such as the Ganges River dolphin, minke whale, and pilot whale. Today’s figure, I believe, is the only toy representative for the pygmy sperm whale I could find. Now it is time to see if this figure meets the standards CollectA’s cetaceans have set on this Blog so far.

The figure measures about 142 mm in length, corresponding to the 1:19-1:25 scale for a typical sized adult. This would place it to scale with many dolphin and shark figures. The paintjob is very well done as the general coloration of the animal is accurately captured with a bluish gray countershaded body. However, the ‘’false-gills’’, a white marking between the eyes and the pectoral fin, are technically missing. For this figure, the false-gills are represented through a sculpted groove. Now I would consider this an inaccuracy. Between all the books and videos that I have looked up, the false-gills are just white markings, there are no tangible folds or indentations. However, I can forgive CollectA for such a mistake as these markings do provide a rather convincing illusion of depth and it does not help that most references for pygmy sperm whales are illustrations rather than photos. I can understand how such a perceptual error could be made when making this figure.

Fun fact regarding this whale’s countershading and false-gills: these traits have caused stranded specimens to be initially confused with sharks, giving credence to the hypothesis that the two species of Kogia evolved some Batesian mimicry with sharks to avoid predators.

As we now move on to the sculpt, the figure continues to meet my expectations. The proportions are all about right, the head shape is accurate, and the dorsal fin is just the right size relative to the body, allowing this figure to appear distinct from the dwarf sperm whale. Little folds on the flippers reveal the phalanges, and a continuous slit links the umbilical scar to the anus. The lack of mammary slits indicates that this figure is a male specimen. Now unfortunately, another inaccuracy can be seen from the top. The blowhole is positioned on the center of the head, like most dolphins and porpoises. Pygmy sperm whales possess a spermaceti organ, which leads to an asymmetrical nostril position just like the larger sperm whale. The nostril should be positioned more to the left and shaped like a crescent rather than a singular dot. I find this mistake to be harder to overlook than the false gill issue.

The last thing I would like to discuss is the mouth. It is impressively detailed with little wrinkles, a well-painted jaw, and 6 individually sculpted pairs of teeth. Now the real animal has about 10-16 pairs, but as far as dentition is concerned, this is still very acceptable. No teeth are present from the top, which is another diagnostic trait for distinguishing from the dwarf species, which can have up to three pairs of teeth in the upper jaw.

In summation, I would say that CollectA’s pygmy sperm whale far from disappoints. It offers an incredibly detailed and mostly accurate depiction of an animal that is neither well known nor wellrepresented. This figure only contains two distracting flaws that are ultimately overshadowed by its many strengths. For this species’ first outing as a widely released commercial replica, it opens strong. This figure is still in production and should be purchasable by most retailers.