Despite having the common name ‘crab’, hermit crabs are not ‘true’ crabs, meaning they are not a part of the clade Brachyura. They belong to its sister group, Anomura, which also contains porcelain crabs, squat lobsters, mole crabs, and king crabs. Broadly speaking, hermit crabs encompass the superfamily Paguroidea which includes the king crabs.
Longnose Lancetfish (Mini Collection Deep Sea Fish by Bandai)
4.2 (5 votes)
We’re back with another small figure from Bandai in their mini capsule series. I failed to recognize before that all of these models are part of what is now called the “Diversity of Life on Earth” series, which covers not only these capsule animals but a number of other figure types.
Laugh and Grow Fat Sea Animals Series 1 (Animal Heavenly Body)
4 (9 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Happy Shark Week! For a change, instead of reviewing a shark for this year, I will be reviewing a selected group of sea animals with a shark included, of course.
An introduction to Animal Heavenly Body. They are a Chinese company, akin to a mix of PNSO and Haolonggood with a hint of Popmart, which focuses on modern animals with some stylized features with them.
Pyjama Shark (Return to Isle of Jaws by Discovery Science)
3.8 (8 votes)
Hard to believe it’s already Shark Week again! And while I don’t usually follow the TV version, it’s always a good time to pull out something shark related from the collection and celebrate this awesome group of animals. For my contribution, I am going to look at a figure from a Discovery Science set called Return to Isle of Jaws that was made in conjunction with a Shark Week show of the same name.
Mini Crustaceans (Diversity of Life on Earth by Bandai)
5 (3 votes)
In early 2024, Bandai announced a set of seven miniature crustaceans in their ever-growing Diversity of Life on Earth line. I was must admit, I had mixed emotions for this set. Two of the figures I really wanted! For one of them, I go either way. And for the remaining four, I didn’t need or really want any of them.
Weedy Seadragon (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
4.3 (6 votes)
The fishes of the order Syngnathiformes (pipefishes, seahorses, and trumpetfishes) are some of the most visually bizarre and strangely adapted fishes on our planet and yet most of them look downright conventional when compared to those members of the family that look more like plants than fish. In what is certainly a textbook case of mimicry, the weedy and leafy seadragons have evolved to look like the kelp and seaweed fronds they live amongst.
Emperor Angelfish (Coral Reef Fish by Colorata)
3.9 (9 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator) is one of the many species of marine angelfish inhabiting reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. While not the largest, they aren’t the smallest angelfish by any means, reaching up to 40 cm in the largest specimens.
Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray (24PCS Mini Ocean Animal Figurines by Toymany)
3.9 (7 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The bluespotted ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma) is a small stingray inhabiting shallow seas and reefs throughout the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. These rays don’t exceed 35 cm in finspan and 71 cm from snout to the tip of the tail.
Barramundi, Adult and Juvenile (Freshwater Fish Pictorial Book 1, original release and re-release by Yujin)
5 (4 votes)
(editor note–I need to update more than normal–because I didn’t discover the adult figure until long after the original writing about the juvenile)
These figures represent the Barramundi (or Asian Seabass), Lates calcarifer. The model number is 13 from the first series (original release); the juvenile is also model number 13, but number 14 in terms of the Yujin series.
Tiger Shark (Sea Life by Schleich)
3.5 (8 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
To close out my Schleich figure reviews, I would be looking into their tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). They are the largest of of the requiem sharks, averaging 400-550 cm from snout to the tip of the caudal fin. They are found in tropical and temperature waters and are characterized by their squarish snouts and stripes on their body, which give them their name.
Saltwater Fish (Mini-verse Mini Lifestyle by MGA)
3.3 (6 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
I always have a love-hate relationship to blind bag/box figures. On one hand it’s thrilling to try to get what you want, but if you’re on a budget, it can be a nightmare especially if the figure you want isn’t appearing despite spending a lot of money.
Killer Whale, 2019 (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
3.7 (11 votes)
Review and images by caipirasuchus; edited by bmathison1972
Orcas (I prefer this term over killer whales), Orcinus orca, don’t need an introduction. One of the most popular marine creatures, it is also a very common species in the toy market. It’s not difficult to see why: big, beautiful, and presenting one of the most unique and striking color patterns in the animal world, orcas are everyone’s favorite.
Great Hammerhead Shark, 2020 (Sea Life by Schleich)
4 (9 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is the largest of all hammerhead sharks, attaining lengths of 400-600 cm in the largest specimens, though they mostly average smaller. Outside of their great size, their most distinctive features are their cephalofoils being relatively smooth, tail fin, and tall dorsal fin, which can get up to 180 cm in the largest and most extreme cases, although it is rare nowadays.
3D Dangerous Sea Creatures Pictorial Book (The Access)
4.2 (10 votes)
For my next October review I will be giving a brief overview of the entire 3D Dangerous Sea Creatures Pictorial Book collection by The Access (also known as Access Toys), which was released just a couple months ago this past August 2023. I was originally going to just review the jellyfish, but was convinced to review the whole set by forum member JimoAi.
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.