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.
Calappa lophos, commonly known as the red-streaked box crab or the common box crab, is a species of box crab (Calappidae) endemic to the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, including Andaman Sea and the waters around Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. For years, this species has been widely ignored by most manufacturers, with only three examples by Kaiyodo in 2003 (Kurosio Komekko), 2013 (Capsule Q Museum), and 2018 (Aquatales).
Review of the complete set of the Corals in Colour produced by Yujin in 2005. The set consists of 16 small figures representing primarily stony corals; however it also includes two species hydrozoans that morphologically similar to hard corals. The figures are quite small, being on average 2.5 cm between their greatest points.
So, after a long hiatus (sorry about that) I have finally gotten myself writing again–and of course it’s fish! Recently the company Toy Fish Factory released two new sets, a Gulf Coast fishes and a Northern Angler set. 2 sets were released previously, the American Angler and River Monsters.
For those who are unaware, I will give a bit of background, and then I’ll discuss each figure in detail–they are all small, and generally wouldn’t warrant a full write up each.
Review of the Australia’s Deadliest Nature Tube, by K&M International for the Wild Republic line. The set was released in 2018. To be honest, I bought this set specifically for the three arthropods, since I am a completist when it comes to arthropods identifiable to the species level. However, now that I am building a Synoptic Collection, I thought I could use the octopus too.
Review and photos by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Biggest of all rays, the magnificent manta ray is an imposing but gentle giant that feeds only on zooplankton. What you may not be aware of is that there are currently two recognized species: the giant oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris) and the smaller reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi).
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The most famous, most popular, and most feared shark of them all is unquestionably the great white (Carcharodon carcharias). It has appeared in more films, documentaries, books, comics, cartoons, games, and toy lines than any other shark, and probably any other sea creature for that matter.
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.
So for my next foray into Animal Toy Blog I am going to discuss a full set of ten figures from a relatively new set from Safari Ltd, released in 2017 (but I only just discovered it…go figure). I’m going to come out and say, there will be brief parts (in point format) and longer parts (paragraphs) as I will discuss the toob figures individually (save two).
