Plastic Timberwolf

Why yes, Little Red Riding Hood...he's safe to pet...

Our Plastic Timberwolf

This engaging, realistic-looking plastic wolf miniature is made of durable plastic with good quality. This replica has detailed fur and an attractive realistic pose, its head down while it stalks its prey. This wolf replica makes for a nice pet, fits into a shoebox diorama, or serves as a great collectible. It is 3 3/4 inches long. Check out our other dog toys and gifts.

About Wolves

The most common type of wolf is the gray wolf, although it has been hunted to extinction in western Europe, Mexico, and the majority of the U.S. Wolves in general live up to 18 years. Of these, the European wolf is the largest, weighing up to 85 pounds.

Wolves are very skilled predators, and they are typically the highest creature in the food chain in the area that they live in. The only animals that pose any sort of significant threat to wolves are tigers and humans. They hunt ungulates, which are hoofed animals, for food. Genetic tests done on a multitude of wolves have proven that while there are many different wolves that have evolved into many different domestic dogs, the gray wolf specifically is the type that has contributed most to pet stores worldwide.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Loggerhead Sea Turtle

The detail on this miniature makes it look like a photo from a magazine!

Our Plastic Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Our small plastic loggerhead sea turtle toy is just the right size replica for your animal life shoebox diorama. This small, loggerhead sea turtle model will fit in a shoe box along with examples of sealife from a Pacific reef. Add a manta ray, tropical fish or jellyfish; create a landscape with rocks, plants, seaweed, make an ocean or reef from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet. Our plastic toy loggerhead sea turtle is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other sea turtles.

About Sea Turtles

All six species of sea turtles in the U.S. (green sea turtle, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, loggerhead and olive ridley) are listed as threatened or endangered on the U.S. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife List. Sea turtles are aquatic reptiles and live most of their lives in the ocean. Sea turtles are excellent divers, the Leatherback species routinely dive more than 1,000 ft., and may reach depths of more than 3,900 ft. seeking jellyfish. Although they must swim to the ocean surface to breathe periodically, some turtles can remain underwater for as long as 5 hours without breathing! Currently sea turtles are endangered because not only are they hunted by people as a food source, but they are losing their beach habitat to recreational development, drowning in fishing and shrimp nets, and ingesting plastic trash. (Sea turtle research by Joslyn Biggins.)

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Neanderthal Woman

Looks like the Missus picked up a little something while she was out!

Our Plastic Neanderthal Woman

Our small plastic Neanderthal toy is just the right size replica for your prehistoric life shoebox diorama. This little cavewoman model will fit in a shoe box along with other examples of extinct life from the Earth's past. Add a caveman, few plastic animals, rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet as it might have been thousands or millions of years ago. Our plastic toy caveman is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other prehistoric figurines including neanderthals.

About Neanderthals

Neanderthals were an alternate (and now extinct) evolution of human beings who lived in what is now Europe and central Asia from 600,000 years to as modern as 24,500 years ago. Neanderthals are scientifically classified as both a subspecies of human (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) and as an entirely separate human species (Homo neanderthalensis). This unique dual classification reflects a split amongst scientists regarding neanderthals relationship to modern humans.

Originally depicted by both popular culture and the scientific community as dark-skinned, hairy, over-muscled brutes, new evidence now suggests that neanderthals were more likely light-skinned with no more facial or body hair than modern humans. While neanderthals were significantly stronger than modern humans, examinations of neanderthal skulls show that the cranial capacity of neanderthals were as large as modern humans, allowing the theory that neanderthal brains were at least as large, and possibly larger, than modern human brains. Far from thoughtless brutes, it is now concluded that neanderthals existed in large social groups, had a language, and were capable of producing advanced tools and problem solving. Were you to see a neanderthal man in a modern setting, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, you would probably think nothing more extravagant than "that dude really works out".

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Red Deer Hind

Sing with me now! "Do, a deer...a fe-male deer..."

Our Plastic Red Deer Doe

Our beautifully-detailed plastic red deer hind (a doe or female of the red deer species) makes a terrific toy or model for teaching your children, grandchildren, or students about the wonders of nature, the forest, and the animal world. It fits nicely into a shoebox diorama for school projects or use our realistic hind to create a woodland scene you can enjoy at Christmas or all year around. Our plastic toy red deer hind is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other deer toys and gifts.

About Deer

Deer are herbivore mammals of the family Cervidae. Many species of deer exist on every continent except Australia and Antarctica, including the white-tailed, red, fallow, roe, chital, and Chinese water deer. Also included in the Family Cervidae are elk, moose, and reindeer. Deer typically weigh 70-600 pounds. They have slender frames and powerful legs, which make them exceptional runners, jumpers and swimmers. The earliest deer fossils date back to the Oligocene epoch, over 23 million years ago.

All male deer and female reindeer have antlers, bony forked appendages that grow from their heads. The only exception to this is the Chinese water deer, which has tusks. Antlers are shed and grow back annually. This makes them different from horns, which are permanent.

Deer have had a significant economic, cultural, and spiritual impact on humans throughout history. From the earliest European cave paintings to Walt Disney's movie "Bambi," Kate Seredy's book The White Stag, and Nintendo's Pokemon "Stantler," deer have captured our imagination. To this day, deer are pursued for sustenance, immortalized in heraldry and popular culture, and revered by belief systems old and new for their speed, strength, and nobility.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Capybara Babies

Awww...look at the school of baby capybaras!!

Our Plastic Baby Capybaras

Our small plastic capybara babies toy is just the right size replica for your South American animal life shoebox diorama. This little capybara model will fit in a shoe box along with examples of life from South America. Add a tapir, an adult capybara, caiman, and a jaguar, and a few other plastic animals or plants; create a landscape with rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet. Our plastic toy capybara babies model is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other capybaras.

About Capybara

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is related to guinea pigs and chinchillas. Capybara are the largest living rodents in the world, reaching lengths of over four feet long and weights of as much as 150 pounds. Their range is densely-forested parts of South America near bodies of water. While not native to lands outside of South America, capybara have been introduced to similar habitats around the world as escapees from captivity, including the marshes of Florida and the western coast of California.

Capybara are herbivores, feeding primarily on aquatic plants, tree bark, fruit, and grasses. They are themselves a favored prey of large cats and eagles, and are farm-raised for meat and pelts across South America. A Papal Bull (a document issued by the Pope in Rome) declared the capybara a fish, allowing capybara to eaten during the Catholic holiday of Lent. As a result, poaching of capybara increases during the period right before Easter.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Rhinoceros Beetle Replica

This looks like a monster from a sci-fi movie, doesn't it?

Our NEW Plastic Rhinoceros Beetle

Our highly-detailed, museum-quality plastic rhinoceros beetle toy makes a terrific model for teaching your children, grandchildren, or students about the wonders of nature, insects, and the animal world. Our plastic toy rhinoceros beetle is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other beetle toys and gifts.

About Japanese Rhinoceros Beetles

The Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Allomyrina dichotoma) is a common insect, and integral part of popular culture, in Japan, China, Taiwan, and Korea. The Japanese name for the species is kabutomushi, which means literally "helmet-bug".

This beetle appears as the center of many television, cinematic, anime, and advertising works in Japan, in much the same way that tigers and geckos do in the United States. Rhino beetles are also popular in games of chance, which usually pit two male beetles in a contest of strength. They are also popular pets, and are even sold from vending machines. Japanese rhino beetles live only four months as a beetle.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Red Deer Stag Replica

Another amazing replica in our new line of Collecta miniatures!

Our Plastic Red Deer Stag

Our beautifully-detailed plastic red deer stag makes a terrific toy or model for teaching your children, grandchildren, or students about the wonders of nature, the forest, and the animal world. It fits nicely into a shoebox diorama for school projects or use our realistic stag to create a woodland scene you can enjoy at Christmas or all year around. Our plastic toy red deer stag is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other deer toys and gifts.

About Deer

Deer are herbivore mammals of the family Cervidae. Many species of deer exist on every continent except Australia and Antarctica, including the white-tailed, red, fallow, roe, chital, and Chinese water deer. Also included in the Family Cervidae are elk, moose, and reindeer. Deer typically weigh 70-600 pounds. They have slender frames and powerful legs, which make them exceptional runners, jumpers and swimmers. The earliest deer fossils date back to the Oligocene epoch, over 23 million years ago.

All male deer and female reindeer have antlers, bony forked appendages that grow from their heads. The only exception to this is the Chinese water deer, which has tusks. Antlers are shed and grow back annually. This makes them different from horns, which are permanent.

Deer have had a significant economic, cultural, and spiritual impact on humans throughout history. From the earliest European cave paintings to Walt Disney's movie "Bambi," Kate Seredy's book The White Stag, and Nintendo's Pokemon "Stantler," deer have captured our imagination. To this day, deer are pursued for sustenance, immortalized in heraldry and popular culture, and revered by belief systems old and new for their speed, strength, and nobility.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Bumblebee Replica

We're not seeing many of these this time of year!

Our Plastic Bumblebee

Our highly-detailed plastic bumblebee toy makes a terrific model for teaching your children, grandchildren, or students about the wonders of nature, insects, and the animal world. Our plastic toy bumblebee is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other bee toys and gifts.

About Bees

Bees are insects, having six legs, a head, thorax and abdomen. Honey bees can be found worldwide. They live in hollw trees as well as in hives kept by beekeepers. The social behavior of these bees is very complex. The colony is made up of the queen bee, drone bees, and worker bees. The lifespan of the queen bee is usually two to three years. Worker bees are sterile female bees who collect, produce, and distribute honey, and also maintain the hive. These bees have pollen buckets on their hind legs as well as pollen scrapers to make their job easier. Worker bees are able to sting, but they die shortly afterwards. Honey bees help to pollinate flowers and crops and produce honey. Of the approximately 20,000 species of bee, fewer than 20 are considered true honey bees. These are classified in the genus Apis. "The first Apis bees appear in the fossil record at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, in European deposits dating about 35 million years ago" according to Wikipedia. This does not mean that honey bees originated in Europe, but only that they were there at that time.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Capybara

A fish? Really!?!

Our Plastic Capybara

Our small plastic capybara toy is just the right size replica for your South American animal life shoebox diorama. This little capybara model will fit in a shoe box along with examples of life from South America. Add a tapir, caiman, and a jaguar, and a few other plastic animals or plants; create a landscape with rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet. Our plastic toy capybara is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other capybaras.

About Capybara

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is related to guinea pigs and chinchillas. Capybara are the largest living rodents in the world, reaching lengths of over four feet long and weights of as much as 150 pounds. Their range is densely-forested parts of South America near bodies of water. While not native to lands outside of South America, capybara have been introduced to similar habitats around the world as escapees from captivity, including the marshes of Florida and the western coast of California.

Capybara are herbivores, feeding primarily on aquatic plants, tree bark, fruit, and grasses. They are themselves a favored prey of large cats and eagles, and are farm-raised for meat and pelts across South America. A Papal Bull (a document issued by the Pope in Rome) declared the capybara a fish, allowing capybara to eaten during the Catholic holiday of Lent. As a result, poaching of capybara increases during the period right before Easter.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Neanderthal

Hi Honey. Could you pick up something on the way home for dinner?

Our Plastic Neanderthal Man

Our small plastic Neanderthal toy is just the right size replica for your prehistoric life shoebox diorama. This little caveman model will fit in a shoe box along with other examples of extinct life from the Earth's past. Add a cave woman, few plastic animals, rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet as it might have been thousands or millions of years ago. Our plastic toy caveman is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other prehistoric figurines including neanderthals.

About Neanderthals

Neanderthals were an alternate (and now extinct) evolution of human beings who lived in what is now Europe and central Asia from 600,000 years to as modern as 24,500 years ago. Neanderthals are scientifically classified as both a subspecies of human (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) and as an entirely separate human species (Homo neanderthalensis). This unique dual classification reflects a split amongst scientists regarding neanderthals relationship to modern humans.

Originally depicted by both popular culture and the scientific community as dark-skinned, hairy, over-muscled brutes, new evidence now suggests that neanderthals were more likely light-skinned with no more facial or body hair than modern humans. While neanderthals were significantly stronger than modern humans, examinations of neanderthal skulls show that the cranial capacity of neanderthals were as large as modern humans, allowing the theory that neanderthal brains were at least as large, and possibly larger, than modern human brains. Far from thoughtless brutes, it is now concluded that neanderthals existed in large social groups, had a language, and were capable of producing advanced tools and problem solving. Were you to see a neanderthal man in a modern setting, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, you would probably think nothing more extravagant than "that dude really works out".

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Bald Eagle Replica

The elephant and donkey can't hold a candle to this majestic symbol!

Our Plastic Bald Eagle

This engaging, realistic-looking bald eagle miniature is made of durable plastic with good quality. This replica is detailed down to the very last feather, and is striking the perfect pose, its wings spread as he prepares to take flight! This bald eagle replica makes for an amazing gift, the finishing touch on a diorama, or as the perfect mantelpiece companion! At 3 3/4 inches long, he's just waiting to take your breath away! Check out our other eagle toys and gifts.

About Bald Eagles

The bald eagle has been popular for centuries as a symbol of freedom and power. Bald eagles range in weight from 10 - 14 pounds and have a average lifespan of 30 years.

Bald eagles are amazing hunters, but they do not travel in packs. Instead, bald eagles choose to be monogamous, meaning that when they find that special little eagle that completes them, they remain a couple for life. The female eagle will lay on average between one and three eggs a year, but there are many years that she won't lay any eggs at all. There is a theory that questions whether this has to do with the female's subconscious; that during years in which prey is scarce or there are an abundance of eagles nearby, she won't lay eggs, but when the prey population goes up or the eagle population decreases, she will start laying again.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Koala

Check out the detail on this wonderful ne miniature!

Our Plastic Koala

Our small plastic koala bear toy is just the right size replica for your Australian animal life shoebox diorama. This small, leaf-eating koala model will fit in a shoe box along with examples of other animals from Australia. Add a kangaroo, wombat, or Tasmanian devil; create a landscape with rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of the diversity of life on our planet. Our plastic toy koala is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other koalas.

About Koalas

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is not a bear, but a marsupial, found only in Australia. It lives exclusively in trees and is a herbivore. It looks a little like a wombat, but is a tree dweller. It has long sharp claws adapted for climbing and weighs 11 to 30 lbs. A baby koala is referred to as a joey and is hairless, blind, and earless. At birth the joey, only a quarter of an inch long, crawls into the downward-facing pouch on the mother's bellywhich is closed by a drawstring-like muscle that the mother can tighten at will) and attaches itself to one of the two teats.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Fat-tailed Scorpion

Not many of THESE in the Oregon Coast Range! WHEW!!

Our Plastic Fat-Tailed Scorpion Replica

Our plastic fat-tailed scorpion is an interesting toy or replica. Look at the lifelike detail. The body is dark, and you can see the reddish hue on the pincers, distinguishing it from other plastic scorpions. It also has a square, bulky tail. The exact shape is hard to see in this photo, but it makes this scorpion somewhat unique. Wouldn't our plastic fat-tailed scorpion be perfect in a diorama for a school project about scorpions, venomous animals, or various desert regions of the world? It also makes a superb educational toy. The fat-tailed scorpion has many realistic details that can teach children about arachnids, and it is flexible to minimize scratches to humans, so it can be used as a durable toy as well. This plastic scorpion can be held in your hand and we promise - it will not sting! The fat-tailed scorpion can be used to enhance reports at school, can be used by therapists for sand trays, or just carry the scorpion around in your pocket to entertain your friends. Check out our other scorpion and arachnid toys, gifts, and lifelike replicas.

About Fat-tailed Scorpions

Scorpions are found in warm regions. They are arachnids, and therefore more closely related to spiders than to insects. They are found not only in the desert, but also in forests. They spend much of the day under logs and leaf litter, and feed mostly at night on spiders and insects. Most scorpions are only painful to humans and are not especially dangerous, although a few can deliver a fatal sting. Children and elderly people are more at risk from their venom than strong, healthy adults. The approximately 2,000 species of scorpion vary widely in size, from about 1/2 inch to 7 inches long. Our plastic scorpion is most likely an artistic version of the Arizona desert scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis pallidus), characterized by a dirty light brown/yellow color and a black to brown streak on its back. People have collected scorpions and made a commercial product out of them in the form of paperweights and keychains by placing them inside moulded plastic. Because of this, they have become over-collected and are now "a CITES-listed animal, meaning scorpions could be threatened with extinction if exportation and other threats, such as development, are not regulated." [Wikipedia]

Fat-tailed scorpions are found in the arid and semi-arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa. The neurotoxin venom of this 4-inch-long scorpion can be fatal to humans, causing several deaths each year.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Dodo Bird Replica

NOT as stupid as he looks!

Our Plastic Dodo Bird

Our realistic-looking plastic dodo bird brings ths marvelous extinct animal "back to life" in your school project or collection. It looks like the real thing and is a wonderful educational toy, useful for shoebox dioramas and other school projects, a collector's item, a gift for your favorite dodo (or dodo fan), and more. Made of solid, rubbery plastic, it measures 2 3/4 inches tall. The body is moulded to look like feathers that almost make it seem real. Its name is moulded into the underside as it is on many of our plastic animals. Be sure to see our other bird and extinct animal toys and gifts.

About Dodo Birds

The dodo, a flightless bird about 3 feet (or 1 meter) tall, was found in only one place in the world - the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. It fed on fruit. The name of this bird is often equated with the condition of extinction - "extinct like the dodo," "dead as a dodo," "gone the way of the dodo bird." Within two hundred years of the arrival of Portuguese sailors on Mauritius in the 1500s, the dodo had become exterminated forever. The bird was last recorded alive in 1663. The starving sailors found the large dodo birds easy prey, as they were not afraid of humans and have been described as "clumsy." In fact, the name "dodo" comes from the word for "fool" in Portuguese. There is some disagreement over how much of the dodo's demise can be blamed directly on human consumption or whether it was the dogs, cats, rats, and pigs introduced to the island that destroyed their eggs. Both played a role. A number of dodos had been brought to Europe before their extinction, where they were variously drawn, painted, and stuffed. Like the bird itself, the dodo's remains, it seems, had also "gone missing," as no complete skeleton had been found for hundreds of years until the discovery by Dutch scientists of a dodo "mass grave" in 2005. Even a complete taxidermied dodo can no longer be seen, as the last surviving one in Oxford was seriously damaged. However, in recent years a slimmer replica has been made based on new data about the proportions of the bird. The dodo gained its place as the most famous extinct animal partly because of its appearance in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The dodo was a favorite of the author, "Lewis Carroll," whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. It is said that he stuttered, and often pronounced his name "Do-Do-Dodgson."

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Mexican Redknee Tarantula Replica

So real, I don't even like the PICTURE!

Our Plastic Mexican Redknee Tarantula Replica

Our highly-detailed, colorful, plastic Mexican redknee tarantula toy makes a terrific model for teaching your children, grandchildren, or students about the wonders of nature, spiders, and the animal world. Our plastic toy Mexican redknee tarantula is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other tarantula and other spider toys and gifts.

About Tarantulas

The true tarantula (Lycosa tarantula) is an Italian wolf spider whose habitat is centered around the city of Taranto. While this was the first species of spider to be named "tarantula", it is not to be confused with the tarantulas of the western hemisphere. A true tarantula is neither large nor hairy, and while its venom has never been proven to be threatening to humans, local superstition says the bite of a tarantula produses a disease called "tarantism", which can only be cured through the performance of a frenzied dance called the tarantella.

Particularly in North America, the term "tarantula" commonly refers to any large-bodied, hairy spider. Currently, over 900 species of spider have been associated with the name tarantula. Some hunt primarily in trees, some on the ground. All tarantulas are venomous, but most are harmless to humans, with very few having extremely unpleasant side effects. The largest species of tarantula, the Goliath Birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) has a leg-span of up to 12 inches and can weigh almost half a pound.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Woolly Mammoth Small Plastic Toy

Another fantastic miniature for your school project or toybox!

Our Plastic Mammoth Miniature

Our small plastic woolly mammoth toy is nice for any fan of Ice Age animals. The fine details may make it look bigger in the photo than it really is, but this miniature extinct giant mammoth replica is just the right size for your prehistoric life or Ice Age shoebox diorama. Th mammoth is 2 1/2 inches from tusks to tail, and stands 2 1/8 inches to the tip if its extended trunk. Our woolly mammoth model will fit in a shoe box along with other examples of extinct animals from the Earth's past. Add a few rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet as it might have been many thousands of years ago. The mammoth is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. The name "Woolly Mammoth" is molded onto the bottom of the animal in very tiny letters. Be sure to take a look at our other prehistoric figurines.

About Woolly Mammoths

The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) is perhaps the best-known species of mammoth. The earliest bone records of this species are around 150,000 years old, and it went extinct over most of its range approximately 10,000 years ago. A race a dwarf woolly mammoths existed on Wrangel Island off the coast of Russia until roughly 3700 years ago. Amazingly, many specimens of woolly mammoth remains are not fossilized, but are frozen organic matter.

Fully-grown woolly mammoths could be as tall as 13 feet and weighed nearly 9 tons. It’s named for the thick coat of shaggy hair which could grow to over three feet in length and was probably shed in the summer months. Unlike modern elephants, the woolly mammoth had numerous glands under its skin that secreted fatty grease into the mammoth’s hair. These characteristics, along with a typical fat layer nearly three inches thick, gave the woolly mammoth excellent insulation against both wet and cold weather conditions.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Giant Centipede Plastic Toy

Check out this gnarly little creepy-crawly!

Our Plastic Giant Centipede Replica

This plastic centipede is both colorful and creepy. Look at the lifelike detail. Wouldn't our plastic centipede be perfect in a diorama for a school project about the forest floor? It also makes a superb educational toy. The centipede has many realistic details that can teach children about centipedes and other terrestrial arthropods, and it is somewhat flexible to minimize scratches to humans and to the plastic centipede. This figurine can be used to enhance reports at school, can be used by therapists for sand trays, or hey . . . just carry the centipede around in your pocket to entertain your friends. Check out our other centipedes as well as other insect and bug toys and gifts.

About Giant Centipedes

Centipedes are terrestial arthropods. The word "centipede" is a general term for a many-legged insect with a pair of legs for each body segment. There are an estimated 8,000 species of centipedes ranging from the Arctic Circle to the the rainforests of South America. Centipedes have dangerous claws at the first appendage and can give a nasty sting. They tend to be nocturnal. They are usually found under rocks or in thick mulch. Most centipedes are small, but some reach 8 inches in length. The world's record is held by a centipede found in the Amazon River area, which reached over 12 inches in length.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Smilodon Plastic Replica

We'd like to ROAR about our new extinct animal replicas!

Our NEW Smilodon Replica

Our small plastic Smilodon (saber-toothed cat) toy is just the right size replica for your animal life shoebox diorama. This Smilodon (saber-toothed cat) model will fit in a shoe box along with examples of other Pleistocene or Ice Age animals. Add a dire wolf, a mastadon or a giant sloth, create a landscape with rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet. Our plastic Smilodon or saber-toothed cat is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other saber-toothed cats.

About Smilodons

The smilodon, or sabertooth cat (sometimes also called saber-tooth tiger), roamed parts of North and South America around the time of the last Ice Age. The most familiar is the Smilodon fatalis, of which many remains have been found in the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits. It became extinct about 11,000 years ago.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Jaguar 3D Puzzle

Yet ANOTHER amazing 3D Puzzle for your X-mas wishlist!

Our 3D Jaguar Puzzle

The details on this 3-D puzzle animal toy add another dimension, so you could say it is 4-D (3-D + details)! It is certainly one of the more detailed we have seen, making it an interesting replica as well as a fun toy for adults and children above the age of 3. This delightful animal model comes assembled. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed animal stands nicely on its own for display on your shelf, TV, computer monitor, etc. Check out our other 3-D Puzzle Animals, as well as our other cat toys.

About Jaguars

Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the third largest cat in the world, ranking behind the tiger and African lion. In spite of their large size and powerful build, jaguars are shy and seldom attack man unless they feel threatened. Jaguars inhabit the Amazon basin rainforest, where deforestation rates are high. This isolation leads to fragmentation of jaguar populations, making them more vulnerable to the predations of man. People compete with jaguars for prey, and jaguars are frequently shot on sight despite protective legislation. Although commercial hunting and trapping of jaguars for their pelts has declined drastically since the mid-1970s when anti-fur campaigns gathered steam, the most urgent conservation issue is the current intolerance of ranchers for jaguars. The black jaguar is a melanistic (black) color variation of the spotted jaguar. (Jaguar research by Joslyn Biggins.)

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Cook Fire with Meat

Hey...we ALL gotta eat!!

Our Plastic Campfire With Roasting Meat

Our small plastic Cook Fire toy is just the right size replica for your prehistoric life shoebox diorama. This little cooking fire model with plastic roasting meat will fit in a shoe box along with other examples of extinct life from the Earth's past. Add a caveman, a cave woman and child, few plastic animals, rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet as it might have been thousands or millions of years ago. Our plastic toy cook fire is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. You could also use it as a miniature campfire for a diorama or for play. Be sure to take a look at our other prehistoric figurines including cave people.

About Neanderthals

Our caveman & family appear to be stylistic replicas of neanderthals, an alternate (and now extinct) evolution of human beings who lived in what is now Europe and central Asia from 600,000 years to as modern as 24,500 years ago. Neanderthals are scientifically classified as both a subspecies of human (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) and as an entirely separate human species (Homo neanderthalensis). This unique dual classification reflects a split amongst scientists regarding neanderthals relationship to modern humans.

Originally depicted by both popular culture and the scientific community as dark-skinned, hairy, over-muscled brutes, new evidence now suggests that neanderthals were more likely light-skinned with no more facial or body hair than modern humans. While neanderthals were significantly stronger than modern humans, examinations of neanderthal skulls show that the cranial capacity of neanderthals were as large as modern humans, allowing the theory that neanderthal brains were at least as large, and possibly larger, than modern human brains. Far from thoughtless brutes, it is now concluded that neanderthals existed in large social groups, had a language, and were capable of producing advanced tools and problem solving. Were you to see a neanderthal man in a modern setting, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, you would probably think nothing more extravagant than "that dude really works out".

As a hunter-gatherer society, neanderthals certainly engaged in cooking their meat and other foodstuffs. Evidence of cooked vegetables have been found in the teeth of neanderthal skulls. Of all the cooking methods used over an open fire (the only heat source available to neanderthals), the easiest and probably oldest is roasting, where meat or large vegetables are placed on spits over the fire. While stewing or boiling food allows people to stretch their food supply by feeding more with less ingredients, roasting requires no other utensils than a sharp stick.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Horse 3D Puzzle

These 3D Puzzles are truely remarkable!

Our 3D Horse Puzzle

The details on this 3-D puzzle animal toy add another dimension, so you could say it is 4-D (3-D + details)! It is certainly one of the more detailed we have seen, making it an interesting replica as well as a fun toy for adults and children above the age of 3. This delightful animal model comes assembled. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed animal stands nicely on its own for display on your shelf, TV, computer monitor, etc. Check out our other 3-D Puzzle Animals, as well as our other hoofed animal toys.

About Horses

The horse (Equus caballus) is a hoofed mammal, and all hoofed mammals are called ungulates. The horse is an odd-toed ungulate in the family Equidae, and has one toe on each foot. In the case of the horse, the one toe has become very large so that we hardly think of it as a toe. The odd-toed animals, Order Perissodactyla, include only 17 species, which is fewer than the other order, even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla). In the Order Perissodactyla we find horses, zebras, donkeys, and other animals that resemble horses, but the order also includes tapirs and rhinos. All other hoofed animals such as deer, cows, and hippos, have either two or four toes on each foot. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today. Horses are one of the animals for which we have the most complete fossil record, which makes it interesting to study their evolution. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4,000 BC, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3,000 BC. Just think of all the ancient art and statuary that depict the relationship between horses and humans! By 2,000 BC, the use of domesticated horses had spread throughout the Eurasian continent. Although most horses today are domesticated, there are still endangered populations of the Przewalski's Horse, the only remaining true wild horse, as well as more common feral horses which live in the wild but are descended from domesticated ancestors. Horse breeding is a very specialized area of expertise, and many breeds have been developed, each with their own characteristics of color, conformation, abilities, shapes and sizes.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Cavewoman and Child

Going out for groceries was a little different then!

Our Plastic Cavewoman With Child

Our small plastic Cavewoman and Child toy is just the right size replica for your prehistoric life shoebox diorama. This little cavewoman and child model will fit in a shoe box along with other examples of extinct life from the Earth's past. Add a cave man, a few plastic animals, rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet as it might have been thousands or millions of years ago. Our plastic toy cavewoman and child is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other prehistoric figurines including cave people.

About Neanderthals

Our caveman & family appear to be stylistic replicas of neanderthals, an alternate (and now extinct) evolution of human beings who lived in what is now Europe and central Asia from 600,000 years to as modern as 24,500 years ago. Neanderthals are scientifically classified as both a subspecies of human (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) and as an entirely separate human species (Homo neanderthalensis). This unique dual classification reflects a split amongst scientists regarding neanderthals relationship to modern humans.

Originally depicted by both popular culture and the scientific community as dark-skinned, hairy, over-muscled brutes, new evidence now suggests that neanderthals were more likely light-skinned with no more facial or body hair than modern humans. While neanderthals were significantly stronger than modern humans, examinations of neanderthal skulls show that the cranial capacity of neanderthals were as large as modern humans, allowing the theory that neanderthal brains were at least as large, and possibly larger, than modern human brains. Far from thoughtless brutes, it is now concluded that neanderthals existed in large social groups, had a language, and were capable of producing advanced tools and problem solving. Were you to see a neanderthal man in a modern setting, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, you would probably think nothing more extravagant than "that dude really works out".

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Sheep 3D Puzzle

One of the world's most popular livestock animals!

Our Plastic 3D Sheep Puzzle

The details on this 3-D puzzle animal toy add another dimension, so you could say it is 4-D (3-D + details)! It is certainly one of the more detailed we have seen, making it an interesting replica as well as a fun toy for adults and children above the age of 3. This delightful animal model comes assembled. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed animal stands nicely on its own for display on your shelf, TV, computer monitor, etc. Check out our other 3-D Puzzle Animals, as well as our other hoofed animal toys.

About Sheep

Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are a chewing herd animal kept all over the world as livestock. There are over 1 billion sheep mostly in Australia, New Zealand and the British Isles, but herds abound in South America as well. Sheep are used for milk production, meat, and wool. A group of sheep is called a herd or flock, the female is called a ewe, a male is called a ram or tup, a castrated male , a wether ,and the young are lambs. Sheep have played a large role as mythological figures and were commonly used as the animal of choice in sacrifices.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Caveman

Add this guy to your shoebox diorama!

Our Plastic Caveman

Our small plastic Caveman toy is just the right size replica for your prehistoric life shoebox diorama. This little caveman model will fit in a shoe box along with other examples of extinct life from the Earth's past. Add a cave woman and child, few plastic animals, rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet as it might have been thousands or millions of years ago. Our plastic toy caveman is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. Be sure to take a look at our other prehistoric figurines including cave people.

About Neanderthals

Our caveman & family appear to be stylistic replicas of neanderthals, an alternate (and now extinct) evolution of human beings who lived in what is now Europe and central Asia from 600,000 years to as modern as 24,500 years ago. Neanderthals are scientifically classified as both a subspecies of human (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) and as an entirely separate human species (Homo neanderthalensis). This unique dual classification reflects a split amongst scientists regarding neanderthals relationship to modern humans.

Originally depicted by both popular culture and the scientific community as dark-skinned, hairy, over-muscled brutes, new evidence now suggests that neanderthals were more likely light-skinned with no more facial or body hair than modern humans. While neanderthals were significantly stronger than modern humans, examinations of neanderthal skulls show that the cranial capacity of neanderthals were as large as modern humans, allowing the theory that neanderthal brains were at least as large, and possibly larger, than modern human brains. Far from thoughtless brutes, it is now concluded that neanderthals existed in large social groups, had a language, and were capable of producing advanced tools and problem solving. Were you to see a neanderthal man in a modern setting, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, you would probably think nothing more extravagant than "that dude really works out".

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Butterfly 3D Puzzle

The insect 3D puzzles are going fast!

Our Plastic 3D Butterfly Puzzle

The details on this 3-D puzzle animal toy add another dimension, so you could say it is 4-D (3-D + details)! It is certainly one of the more detailed we have seen, making it an interesting replica as well as a fun toy for adults and children above the age of 3. This delightful insect model comes assembled, and its wingspan is 5 1/2 inches wide. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed insect stands nicely on its own for display on your shelf, TV, computer monitor, etc. Check out our other 3-D Puzzle Animals, as well as our other insect toys.

About Monarch Butterflies

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a well-known North American butterfly. It is a beautiful insect and has been drawn, photographed and appreciated by countless people. It is noted for its ability to make migration journeys of up to 3,000 miles where it loves to congregate on milkweed. It tolerates cold weather poorly so unsesaonable weather can have a devasting effect on the monarch butterfly. Monarch butterflies have few predators. They have an acrid taste which birds learn to avoid. Monarch butterflies can now be found in Hawaii and New Zealand.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Andrewsarchus Plastic Toy

Part of terrific new line of prehistoric miniatures!

Our Plastic Andrewsarchus Miniature

Our small plastic Andrewsarchus toy is just the right size replica for your prehistoric life shoebox diorama. This little Andrewsarchus model will fit in a shoe box along with other examples of extinct animals from the Earth's past. Add a few rocks, plants, grass, make a river or stream from anything that strikes your imagination, and there you go - a scene of life on our planet as it might have been millions of years ago. Our plastic toy Eocene mammal is painted to look the way paleontologists imagine the animal looked in real life, although of course nobody really knows. That's part of the fun and mystery – you can imagine Andrewsarchus any way you like! It is made of solid plastic and is quite durable. The name "Andrewsarchus" is molded onto the bottom of the animal. Be sure to take a look at our other prehistoric figurines.

About Andrewsarchus

To date the only fossil remains found of this amazing Eocene (55-37 MYA) hoofed predator are a skull and a few bone pieces. They were found in Mongolia in 1924 during an expedition led by paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, for whom the creature is named. After extensive study of the skull, it was concluded that this creature was a member of the only known group of carnivorus hoofed mammals called Mesonychids, which looked somewhat like wolves with hoofed toes. Mesonyx obtusidens, a small North American relative, was the model for current depictions of this predator. From the size of the skull (3 feet long), it was determined that Andrewsarchus was approximately 6 foot tall at the shoulder and 13-18 feet long (over twice the size of today's brown bear), making it the largest carnivous mammal in the world. There is a commentary on Andrewsarchus

on the Laelaps blog. For additional information, check out the Andrewsarchus page and the "What are Mesonychids?" page.

 This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Polar Bear 3D Puzzle

A fantastic puzzle AND replica!

Our Polar Bear 3D Puzzle

The details on this 3-D puzzle animal toy add another dimension, so you could say it is 4-D (3-D + details)! It is certainly one of the more detailed we have seen, making it an interesting replica as well as a fun toy for adults and children above the age of 3. This delightful animal model comes assembled. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed animal stands nicely on its own for display on your shelf, TV, computer monitor, etc. Check out our other 3-D Puzzle Animals, as well as our other bear toys.

About Polar Bears

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) live in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia, mainly within the Arctic Circle. They are adapted for living on ice and snow, and have evolved to fill a small niche in the ecosystem. The polar bear's diet consists mainly of seals. There has been a lot in the news lately about the plight of polar bears due to the thinning ice in their Arctic home. The IUCN now lists global warming as the most significant threat to the polar bear, primarily because the melting of its sea ice habitat reduces its ability to find sufficient food. Polar bears are the world's largest carnivore species found on land. They are also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak bear, which is about the same size.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Opossum ('Possum) Mom and Baby Stuffed Animals

Give Mom & Babe a place of honor in your collection!

Our Stuffed Opossum Mama & Baby

Our stuffed opossum (sometimes called 'possum) mom and baby are so realistic, you may surprise your friends or loved ones when they see this charming duo! Our opossums are approximately life-sized, which helps to give that illusion. The mother opossum is 11 inches long from nose to rump, and her bare fabric tail adds another 12 inches when you pull it out straight. The tail is made to curl, and will pop right back into position. Also looking extremely real, the baby opossum is stitched right onto her back. Real opossum babies ride on their mothers' backs at this age. The body of the baby is 5 1/2 inches right down to its stitched pink nose (not seen in this photo); its tail adds another 3 1/2 inches, and has a crinkly curl built into the end. The baby's fur is soft and fuzzy, and is shorter than Mom's fur, as it's still a very young animal. Mom's toes are stuffed fabric, while baby's toes are cut out of flat fabric. The ears of both opossums have soft fabric inside and out. As with all of Fiesta's toys, this plush toy opossum pair meets the most stringent current standards of safety for children's toys. All parts are non-toxic and surface washable. Check out our other opossum toys and gifts. To find our other stuffed toy animals from Fiesta, or see our entire inventory of stuffed animals, stuffed beanies and plush hand puppets, check out our Stuffed Animals Page.

About Opossums

 

The hang-tag on our stuffed opossum pair says, "The opossum hideouts are located in a variety of areas including stumps, haystacks, vine tangles, attics, garages, road culverts, hollow trees, rock piles, crannies, under buildings, and in the abandoned burrows of other animals. Opossums are not territorial and do not maintain separate home ranges. They are exceptionally non-aggressive and non-destructive. They will not harm people or pets. They are more immune to many diseases than the other animals and are far less likely to carry rabies. Opossums are beneficial to the environment because they eat insect pests, snails and slugs. They have a remarkable resistance to poisonous snakebite such as the rattlesnakes, cottonmouth, Russsell's viper and Asiatic cobra. Opossum do not hibernate, and they are active at night."

 

Here's some additional info: Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. They are commonly also called possums, though that term is also applied to some Australian animals. The Virginia Opossum is the original animal named opossum. The word comes from the Algonquian language. Opossums probably diverged from the basic South American marsupials in the late Cretaceous or early Paleocene. Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet and reproductive characteristics make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions. Originally native to the eastern United States, the Virginia Opossum was intentionally introduced into the West during the Great Depression, probably as a source of food. Its range has been expanding steadily northwards, thanks in part to more plentiful, man-made sources of fresh water, increased shelter due to urban encroachment, and milder winters. Its range has extended into Ontario, Canada, and it has been found farther north than Toronto.

As with other small marsupials, the gestation period of an opossum is only about 12 to 14 days. The young are born at a very immature stage and must find their way into the mother's pouch. They live and feed inside her pouch until they are weaned at about 70 to 125 days. They cling to Mom's back until they are old enough to take care of themselves. Opossums are omnivorous, eating small animals such as insects, frogs, birds, snakes, small mammals, and earthworms. They eat carrion as well as garbage, but some of their favorite food is fruit. The most famous behavior of the opossum is "playing 'possum" when threatened or hurt. This is a completely involuntary response. The lips curl, the body stiffens, and a foul-smelling liquid is released, so a human or other animal might really believe the opossum is dead and leave it alone. It can even be picked up at this time and will resemble a dead animal. After a few minutes or hours, the opossum will again become animated and run away, hopefully having eluded the danger. Baby opossums will open their mouths, show their pointed teeth, and make a hissing noise if they feel threatened. Adult opossums do not hang from trees by their tails, but babies will sometimes hang from the mother's tail for a short time. An adult opossum will use its tail as a brace or an extra limb when climbing trees. They are usually solitary, will temporarily take over abandoned burrows, and prefer protection from the dark or dark areas, becoming active between dusk and dawn, and rarely coming into view during the day. Although many people consider opossums disgusting or a nuisance, they are essentially harmless, and many people find them very cute. They are extremely interesting small mammals.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Cow 3D Puzzle

Fun and educational for young and old!

Our Cow 3D Puzzle

The details on this 3-D puzzle animal toy add another dimension, so you could say it is 4-D (3-D + details)! It is certainly one of the more detailed we have seen, making it an interesting replica as well as a fun toy for adults and children above the age of 3. This delightful animal model comes assembled. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed animal stands nicely on its own for display on your shelf, TV, computer monitor, etc. Check out our other 3-D Puzzle Animals, as well as our other hoofed animal toys.

About Maine-Anjou Cattle

Maine-Anjou cattle are red and white and primarily raised for meat production rather than dairy. The Viscount Olivier de Rouge originally created the breed in the Anjou region of Western France in 1908. This is a large breed, with cows reaching 1900 pounds. The breed was first imported to the new world in 1969, first in Canada, then the United States.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Dragonfly Keychains from Guatemala

A FANTASTIC gift! Useful and beautiful!

Our Beaded Dragonfly Keychains

The beading on these dragonfly animal keychains is securely stitched into a woven fabric of beads and is very sturdy. Unlike some beaded animals I've seen that are beautiful and engaging but very delicate, these dragonflies are durable and with normal handling will hold up extremely well. Check out our other dragonfly items as well as our page of beaded animals and beaded keychains from Guatemala. When you purchase one of these unique animals from our collection, you help in a number of ways. You help save tapirs, because that's what we do. You help the local artisans in Guatemala who need an outlet for their work (yes, jobs!), and you help my new friend Catherine with her sustainable business of working with the artisans of Guatemala to maintain jobs for themselves and make beautiful art for many people around the world to enjoy.

About Dragonflies

A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata. It is has large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes, midges, and other small insects like flies, bees, and butterflies. They are valuable predators, since they help control populations of harmful insects. Dragonflies are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Dragonflies do not normally bite or sting humans, though they will bite in order to escape, if grasped by the abdomen. Dragonflies hover above the water, but then can rapidly accelerate. They capture their prey by clasping them in legs studded by spikes. We are most familiar with the adult stage of the dragonfly, but most of their life is spent as a nymph below the water.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.