To commemorate the culmination of what seems like a lifetime of public flirtation with her true boo Drake, Rihanna got a tattoo. And not just any tattoo: Rihanna’s new ink takes the shape of a camo shark — allegedly an homage to a stuffed animal Drake gave her during a date to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, in his hometown, Toronto.
That Drake would select the camo shark as his relationship Patronus is especially fitting. Not only does its IRL counterpart, the wobbegong shark, share the rapper’s penchant for fatigue-inspired prints, but, just like Drake, the marine creature, seemingly tough and dangerous, is actually mad soft!
The camo-printed wobbegong shark is Drake's relationship Patronus.
As far as camo-printed sharks go, the sharp-toothed wobbegong is arguably the most famous. Also known as the “carpet shark” because of its bold markings, the marine predator may appear to be scary — its boldly patterned hide allows it to stealthily lurk among its predators, and at four feet long, it’s hardly inconspicuous — but beneath its imposing exterior, the shark is generally kind of tame. Just like Drake!
Most of the time, Orectolobus maculatus can be found chilling on the sea floor in the shallow waters of the eastern Indian Ocean, around Australia, and in the seas of Southeast Asia. They’re not considered dangerous to humans, preferring to hang out among the rocks and sneak up on smaller, weaker fish.
But that doesn’t mean you should try to take advantage of them. When disturbed or stepped on, they’re known to lash out — hard. “The bite can cause severe lacerations, and the spotted wobbegong is known to clamp down on its victim without letting go,” according to the ocean life resource MarineBio.com. Like Drake, wobbegongs don’t easily let go of a grudge (can anyone find Meek Mill?)
That is to say, wobbegongs, like Drizzy, engage only in battles when they know they can win. The rest of the time, they’re content to be, well, soft. And while the 6 God may get a lot of flak for being one of the “softest rappers in the game,” we’re glad Rihanna finally realized that soft doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.
