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.
Sawsharks, which are in the family Pristiophoridae, should not be confused with sawfish of the family Pristidae. Sawsharks, as their name implies, are ‘true’ sharks within the Selachimorpha, whereas sawfish are rays within Batoidea. Sawsharks are squalimorph sharks, and are more closely related to lantern sharks, sleeper sharks, angel sharks, and dogfish than they are to more familiar taxa such as great whites, tiger sharks, whale sharks, and hammerheads.
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.
This figure is the Starry Flounder (or in Japanese, Kawagarei, among other names), Platichthys stellatus , model 31 and number 161 from the second series—and, sadly, THE LAST FIGURE IN THE SERIES! Which means that until/unless I get my hands on a representative of the ones I’m missing, or a few rare variants, this is the end of the line2 for the Yujin Freshwater Fishes Books 1 and 2.
This figure is the Japanese eel (nihon unagi in Japan), Anguilla japonica, model sculpt 23 and number 8 from the second series. This is the only freshwater eel found in Japan, although it is found throughout Eastern Asia as far south as Vietnam. Like many other freshwater eels, the Japanese Eel is catadromous, spawning and hatching at sea but living much of their life in freshwater habitats and brackish estuaries.
I recently discussed a pair of figures from a Takara Tomy set featuring some unique fish species that are visually or culturally striking. Species that are notable for being scary looking, notorious, and somehow engaging for fishing (I think). I tried to translate the papers and it appears to be called World Fishing Monster Fish, but I can’t be certain.
This figure is the Chum Salmon egg and alevin (hatchling), Oncorhynchus keta, number 19 in Book 2, but the number 15 is stamped into it—and it’s another Special Secret (I am reposting these based on the model numbers)! The difference with this one is that the numbering would appear to place it in the Series 2 set—but the papers for series 2 start at model 16 (although they restart at 1 within each Book), so it’s a little unusual for the Secret to be ‘first’ in the series.
(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.
This figure is the Three-spined Stickleback (or Tiddler, or Tiddlebat, in Great Britain, because that’s kind of hilarious), Gasterosteus aculeatus, number 12 from the first series. This is the only representative of the stickleback order in the set; phylogenetically, they are grouped with more familiar spiny fish like scorpionfish, sea-robins and wolffish (at one time they were grouped with seahorses, pipefish and kin in Sygnathiformes, but that is no longer considered correct).
This figure is represents a breeding colour Cherry Salmon (or Masu Salmon), Oncorhynchus masou masou . It is stamped with a number 5—meaning that while this figure may share the name of figure 03 (the ‘normal’ cherry salmon, written about here) it is a re-paint of the Chum Salmon figure (posted here).
This figure is the adult Chum Salmon, also known as Dog Salmon or Keta salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, number 05 from the first series. This trout is widespread throughout Pacific Asia and North America, ranging widely in the oceans and travelling far inland for breeding. The Chum salmon is a very deep bodied salmon species.
This figure is the Japanese Dolly Varden (also known as Miyabeiwana or Miyabe Char in Japan), Salvelinus malma miyabei, a Secret Figure from the first series revised release (so, the third release of series 1 for those keeping track). I believe it is numbered #17 in the set, although it is based on model #2.
This figure is the White-spotted Char (also known as iwana in Japan), Salvelinus leucomaensis, number 02 from the first series. This salmon and trout relative is a fish found in East Asia, and can be landlocked or ocean-running. As with many Japanese fish models (though not all) it is widely fished for.
At the start of the year, I received an email notification from Safari Ltd. that they would be having a 50% off sale on their already discounted, discontinued figures. Not only were some of these figures now up to 75% off but this was also my last chance to get them, I didn’t squander it.
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.
