Jellyfish are acquainted and common animals! Whereas stunning in type and coloration and enchanting of their actions, they’re additionally venomous predators, paralyzing and subduing prey with stinging nematocysts. They’re additionally no stranger to the toy and determine realm, the place units dedicated to jellyfish have been produced by Okay&M Worldwide, Kaiyodo, Kitan Membership, Ikimon (a number of occasions), Qualia, and The Entry, simply to call just a few. Whereas Safari Ltd. has just a few stand-alone jellyfish of their Wild Safari Sealife, Unbelievable Creatures, and Good Luck Mini traces, they joined the social gathering and lately launched a Jellyfish TOOB consisting of eight species (seven scyphozoans and one cubozoan). Launched in late 2025, it carries a 2026 manufacturing yr. I considered no higher strategy to ring within the New 12 months than reviewing a 2026 product on the Weblog :-). I used to be impressed by promotional pics, however in-hand, the element on these jellyfish is basically fairly good given their dimension. I believe a number of the element is misplaced in photographs due to their monochromatic paint jobs, the explanation for which is as a result of these jellyfish glow at midnight (see final picture)! And although they’re monochromatic, their coloration selections are near the overall base coloration of the particular animal generally. As a result of I’m reviewing a complete TOOB right here, my descriptions of every species might be temporary, specializing in geographic distribution, habitat, dimension, scale, and frequency in toy/determine type, with occasional enjoyable tid-bits of knowledge thrown in right here and there. Safari Ltd. solely marketed these by widespread names. The widespread names beneath are these utilized by Safari Ltd., whereas the Latin names in parenthesis are my identifications. If anybody thinks my identifications are in error, or can provide you with one thing higher, please remark beneath, I’d be comfortable to listen to!
Sea Wasp (Chironex fleckeri)
The widespread identify sea wasp is used for a number of field jellyfish, the 2 most typical being Alatina alata and Chironex fleckeri. I believe the latter is the extra seemingly selection primarily based on the form of the bell and the presence of a number of tentacles coming off of every aspect of the bell. Additionally, C. fleckeri, which is often referred to as the Australian field jelly, might be essentially the most acquainted field jelly given its popularity as one of many deadliest of all of the jellyfish! Chironex fleckeri happens in pelagic waters of the West Pacific, from northern Australia and New Guinea north to the Philippines and Vietnam. Safari’s sea wasp is about 7.5 cm in whole size. Utilizing the bell as a metric (n=2.5 cm) the size involves about 1:6.4-1:14 for C. fleckeri. Every nook of the bell has 4 tentacles; in nature there are often 15 per cluster however that will be tough to soundly replicate in a determine of this dimension and elegance. Different species of field jellies have fewer tentacles per stalk, so one might have this determine characterize one other species of their selecting! Settle for my identification, and that is the one determine of C. fleckeri I’m conscious of, though different venomous field jellies embody Chironex yamaguchii (habu-kurage) by The Entry and Carybdea brevipedalia by Kaiyodo. That is the one cubozoan within the set; the remaining figures are all ‘true’ jellyfish within the Scyphozoa.
Floating Bell (Phyllorhiza punctata)
Going by different widespread names, comparable to Australian noticed jellyfish, brown jellyfish, and white-spotted jellyfish, the pelagic P. punctata is native to the West Pacific, from Japan to Australia. Nonetheless, it has been launched elsewhere and is taken into account in an invasive species within the Mediterranean in Europe, Hawaii and southern California within the Pacific, and the northern Gulf of Mexico, Better Antilles, and the Carolinas within the Atlantic. The Safari floating bell is about 5.5 cm lengthy. Utilizing the bell as a metric (n=2.5 cm) the size involves about 1:8.2-1:11.3. I’m not instantly conscious of different figures of P. punctata, however given the variety of units of jellyfish out of Japan and the intensive aquarium traces by Kaiyodo, I wouldn’t be shocked if there was one other instance on the market!
Blubber Jelly (Catostylus mosaicus)
Generally referred to as the blubber jelly, jelly blubber, or blue blubber jellyfish, C. mosiacus inhabits estuaries, lagoons, and shallow bays from the japanese shoreline of Australia to the Malay Peninsula. It’s identified for its huge blooms, typically exceeding 500 tonnes per sq. kilometer. The Safari blubber jelly, which is appropriately blue, is about 4.7 cm lengthy. Utilizing bell as a metric (n=2.7 cm) scale involves about 1:9.3-1:11.1. I do know of at the very least one different determine of this species, a 2008 gashapon determine by Kaiyodo for Quantity 2 of their Japan Aquarium 3D Organic Catalogue collection.
Barrel Jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo)
Rhizostoma pulmo, generally referred to as the barrel jellyfish, dustbin-lid jellyfish, and frilly-mouthed jellyfish, is a pelagic species within the Atlantic. It primarily happens within the northeast Atlantic, from the British Isles to Portugal and the Mediterranean, Black, and Azov Seas. There may be additionally a inhabitants within the South Atlantic off the coast of South Africa. It’s a very giant jellyfish, with bells starting from 40-150 cm or bigger! This Safari barrel jellyfish is 5.0 cm with a bell of two.8 cm vast giving it a scale of 1:14.3-1:53.6 and placing it into many collectors’ most popular scale ranges. I’m not conscious of every other figures of this species off-hand.
Topped Jellyfish (Cephea cephea)
The time period ‘crowned jellyfish’ is generic and may apply to jellyfish in any considered one of six households of the order Coronatae. Based mostly on the morphology, I consider Safari’s represents the cauliflower jellyfish, Cephea cephea. This pelagic species is widespread within the Indo-Pacific, occurring from the Pink Sea and South Africa east to the Marquesas Islands and north to Russia. It’s an edible species and harvested in Southeast Asia. Wanting like a flying saucer, it will get its widespread identify ‘cauliflower jellyfish’ from the warty projections on the highest of its bell. Safari’s cauliflower jellyfish measures about 5.2 cm tall. With a bell measuring about 4.0 cm in diameter, the size involves about 1:15. I’m unaware of every other figures of this species. With its intricate morphology, this is likely to be my favourite within the bunch!
Pacific Sea Nettle (Chrysaora fuscescens)
The Pacific sea nettle happens within the North Pacific, from Japan to the Gulf of Alaska and south alongside the West Coast of North America to Mexico. It will get its widespread identify ‘sea nettle’ from its painful, albeit hardly ever clinically harmful, sting. It’s a pelagic species, occurring from 0-80 meters in depth. No stranger if determine type, it has been produced a handful of occasions, together with a number of by Kitan Membership and Ikimon on the Nature Techni Color line. At this time’s determine by Safari measures 7.5 cm lengthy and has a bell measuring 1.7 cm vast for a scale of 1:17.6-1:58.8 (there are a variety of discrepancies on-line concerning the most width of the bell, however a number of web site 1 meter). Safari designed the tentacles to be clustered collectively as a single piece, in all probability to forestall breakage throughout play.
Widespread Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita)
When the set was first introduced, I used to be uncertain of this determine’s id. However in-hand I’m extra satisfied now that it represents the widespread, or moon, jellyfish, Aurelia aurita. The species happens almost worldwide, inhabiting inshore habitats comparable to estuaries and harbors. It’s in all probability essentially the most commonly-produced species of jellyfish, with others by Kaiyodo, Kitan Membership (together with Ikimon reissues), The Entry, Okay&M Worldwide, and Qualia, simply to call just a few off the highest of my head. I believe what threw me off initially, is that Safari designed theirs with the bell compressed above the tentacles, as of in energetic movement, whereas most different figures of this species are displayed in a extra relaxed place. Assuming A. aurita was the supposed species, it could have been good to etch the 4 distinctive horseshoe-shaped gonads into the highest of the bell, which might have cinched the identification. At this time’s moon jelly is about 3.5 cm tall and has a bell 3.0 cm vast for a scale of 1:8.3-1:13.3, though that scale must be used with some warning given the marginally compressed nature of the bell.
Cannonball Jellyfish (Stomolophus meleagris)
Stomolophus meleagris will get its two widespread names, cannonball jellyfish and cabbagehead jellyfish, from the form of its giant, globose bell. The species happens coastally within the Americas, from California to Ecuador within the East Pacific and New England to Brazil within the West Atlantic. The cannonball jellyfish is harvested of the East Coast of the USA and is shipped to Japan, China, and Thailand. Additionally it is one of many principal prey species for the endangered leatherback sea turtle. Safari’s cannonball jellyfish measures 4.5 cm. Utilizing the bell as a metric (n=3.7 cm) the size involves about 1:6.8. I’m unaware of every other figures of this species.
Nicely, there we’ve got it people, an outline of Safari Ltd.’s 2026 Jellyfish TOOB. This can be a very nice set and may enchantment to collectors of sea life and attention-grabbing taxa. Even for a prolific collector like me, six of the eight figures characterize new species and it’s potential 5 of them are totally new to our passion!
