Comfortable Shark Week, weblog readers! For almost a yr I’ve been holding onto and ready to assessment one among 2025’s most fun releases, the CollectA megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) simply so I may function it throughout this auspicious event. I imagine that is the 7th yr that we’ve celebrated Shark Week on the ATB and it makes me completely happy that it has been so warmly embraced by my fellow weblog reviewers. This should be one of many busiest weeks of the yr on the ATB, and I truthfully look ahead to studying the Shark Week critiques greater than truly watching Shark Week on TV, which I haven’t completed in a few years.
Megamouth shark figures are as comparatively unusual as sightings of the particular megamouth shark, with solely a small handful of principally Japanese figures obtainable. Within the western market the Safari Ltd. megamouth has lengthy been the default finest determine of the species obtainable however now there’s a new contender, and despite the fact that I’ve Safari’s glorious determine I couldn’t resist proudly owning one other mannequin of this distinctive shark species.
Since its discovery in 1976 and as of March 2025, 296 specimens of the megamouth shark have been caught or noticed. Regardless of their elusiveness, the megamouth shark happens around the globe within the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They endure nightly vertical migrations to comply with plankton to near-surface waters and will be discovered at a depth of as much as 544.6’ (166 meters) in offshore environments. Like one other filter feeding shark species, the basking shark, it has fascinating ties to cryptozoology. Decomposing basking sharks are sometimes the true determine of purported sea serpent carcasses whereas the megamouth shark’s “recent” discovery is used to legitimize cryptozoology as a area of examine.
The CollectA megamouth shark measures 8.25” (20.96 cm) in complete size whereas the precise megamouth reaches a most size of 18’ (5.49 meters) however averages 13’ (4 meters) for the males and 16’ (5 meters) for the females. Because it has claspers the CollectA megamouth represents a male and when scaled down from a size of 13’ comes out to be 1/18 in scale. The megamouth is the smallest of the three filter feeding shark species.
This megamouth is statically posed with its terminally positioned mouth agape and lengthening again previous the eyes. The pinnacle is lengthy, bulbous, and rounded off. The physique is cylindrical in form, with pectoral fins shorter than the size of the pinnacle, and low dorsal fins with the second dorsal about half the scale of the primary. The higher lobe of the caudal fin is longer than the decrease lobe. All that’s to say, the toy seems to be good and precisely matches the morphology of the particular megamouth.
Miniscule, tough enamel are sculpted alongside the mouth, and a large, flattened tongue is held in opposition to the jaw. The eyes are small and beady. 5 reasonably lengthy gill slits are sculpted on both sides of the pinnacle. The complete toy has a wrinkled, flabby trying texture, notably alongside the flanks.
The determine is darkish, muddy grey, and white beneath with darkish recognizing on the decrease jaw. The pectoral and pelvic fin margins needs to be white however aren’t, which is absolutely the most minor of nitpicks. A pale line is painted alongside the higher lip which in life, together with some paleness on the mouth inside (additionally seen right here), displays the sunshine off of bioluminescent plankton and is believed to draw prey.
The CollectA megamouth delivers one of the totally researched, lifelike, and meticulously detailed sharks in my total assortment. I nonetheless just like the Safari determine and can preserve it but when I had to decide on, or if you must select, CollectA’s is the way in which to go. Should you wish to have a number of examples of the identical species then all the higher, you’ll now have two glorious megamouth sharks to show.
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