Whitetip Reef Shark (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)

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. They just live near reefs. In the case of the whitetip reef shark, it occurs in shallow waters around coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific. It is the sole member of its genus but still belongs to the Carcharhinidae family along with the other reef sharks, and over 50 other species.

The Safari 2018 whitetip reef shark is the only toy of this species that I’m aware of. It’s presented swimming along in a gentle S curve and rather dynamic as shark figures go. The figure measures about 5” (12.7 cm) when measured along its curves. The actual whitetip reef shark averages between 5-6’ (1.5-1.8 meters) and rarely grows larger than that. The figure comes out at 1/14 in scale when scaled down from a length of 6’.

Whitetip reef sharks are notable for being primarily nocturnal hunters. During the day they sit motionless in caves and crevices, unusual behavior for a requiem shark. At night groups of sharks scour the reef, wriggling into cracks and crevices to catch sleeping prey. Any prey flushed out of its lair is quickly grabbed by another shark. Although they move in groups each shark is still hunting for itself and competing with other sharks. Prey includes bony fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans.

Starting with the head you get a short, flattened, broad snout that’s complete with tubular skin flaps adjacent to the nostrils, although they are hard to see. The eyes have distinct ridges above them and horizontally oval pupils which is also correct for the species. Five gill slits are sculpted on each side of the head and the pectoral fins are appropriately large and broad. The upper lobe of the caudal fin is longer than the lower lobe and has a distinct notch. The lack of claspers on the pelvic fins indicates that this figure represents a female.

There are some anatomical errors here worth mentioning. Like the Safari bonnethead shark the figure is sculpted too short, and that’s not just an illusion brought on by the figure’s posture. The dorsal fin should be far beyond the free rear tips of the pectoral fins and closer to the pelvic fin origin. As is it’s close to the pelvic fin origin but it’s also too close to the pectoral fins, wedged right between each set of paired fins. Basically, all the fins are crammed into a body that’s too short which leads to inaccurate proportions. Additionally, the second dorsal and anal fins are a tad too small. In life they’re about half the size to three quarters the size of the first dorsal.

The figure is painted dark grey along the back, and it gradually fades along the flanks and transitions to a white underside. In life the body tends to be greyish brown with dark spots along the flanks. Some of those dark spots would have been nice here but the paintjob is serviceable and nicely applied. Both dorsal fins and the upper lobe of the caudal fin are tipped in white but usually only the first dorsal and caudal fin have a white tip.

The Safari whitetip reef shark is a beautifully sculpted figure with a few flaws that only become obvious with close scrutiny. Anatomical inaccuracies aside, it still does an acceptable job of representing its species and as the only whitetip reef shark available is a must have in any shark collection. The Safari whitetip reef shark is currently in production and retails for about $6.50.