Plastic Grasshopper

After a long absence, look who's back at Tapir & Friends!

Our Plastic Grasshopper

This engaging, realistic-looking, plastic grasshopper is made of hard durable plastic. It is 3 inches long including flexible antennae. It makes a good replica in a shoe box diorama or for any school project. It is also an excellent party gag. Check out our other grasshopper toys and gifts.

About Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers are herbivorous insects of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. There are over 11,000 different species of grasshoppers and many more undistinguished varieties living in rainforests throughout the world. Grasshoppers make sound by rubbing their long hindlegs against their abdomen or by snapping their wings during flight. Grasshoppers are fun to catch and are a source of protein to many people in the world. Grasshoppers are low on the food chain and fall prey to other insects and birds. They are often used as bait for fishing.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Gazelle

Here's the reason a cheetah NEEDS all its speed!

Our Plastic Gazelle

The markings on the gazelle pictured above most closely resemble the Thompson's gazelle. This small toy gazelle is made of solid white plastic with the colors are painted on. It measures 2 1/8 inches long from nose to tail and stands 1 3/4 inches to the tip of its horns. Although parts of the toy are somewhat flexible, it is not posable. The word "GAZELLE" is embossed on the underside. NOTE: NOT suitable for children under 3 years of age. Be sure to look over our other antelope toys and gifts.

About Gazelle

A fairly small type of antelope (2 to 3 feet high at the shoulder), gazelles (Gazella) are swift, graceful animals able to maintain high speeds for extended periods of time. Their coat is usually fawn colored and some have striking black and white markings. The horns on most gazelles curve back and in and are heavily ringed. Three species of gazelle are extinct and the remaining species are endangered to varying degrees. The most widespread of all antelope, gazelles live in herds in the African grasslands and savannas. They are also found in southwest Asia.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Capybara

Introducing a rodent bigger than many dogs!

Our Plastic Capybara Replica

This sturdy, light-weight plastic rodent is great for school projects, toys, novelties, animal collections, party favors and more. Our plastic capybara is for decoration or play only. You can make an outstanding South American shoebox diorama using this and other plastic creatures from our gift shop. Best of all, there is no mess, no feeding, and no tank or cage cleaning :) Come check out our other capybara toys and gifts.

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.

Soft Play Latex Giant Panda Replica

The vegetarian of the bear world!

Our Soft Play Plastic Giant Panda

This realistic-looking latex-coated soft play giant panda is a terrific replica. It is 8 1/2 inches long. It is also 4 1/2 inches tall. Our panda replica has a soft plastic "skin" and a squishy inner body possibly made of foam. It is an excellent toy for children because it is light weight and durable, and it's not likely to damage anything by its impact if a child throws it. It serves as an educational toy for a science project or as a gag or unusual gift. Check out our other panda toys and gifts.

About Pandas

The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is found in cental and southwestern China. It is a member of the bear family and in the order of carnivores,(which implies meat-eating) although, in its natural state, it eats exclusively bamboo shoots. The giant panda has been impacted heavily by encroaching civilization and is considered an endangered species with probably no more than 1500 individuals living in the wild with about 250 animals living in captivity. It is a docile animal and is not known to attack humans. It is slowly replacing the dragon as China's national symbol.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Dinosaur Tracks

Seeing a dinosaur skeleton in a museum may be thought-provoking, but seeing actually tracks in nature is downright exhilarating. Just South of Tuba City, Arizona, on a large tract of Navajo Nation land are the footprints of countless dinosaurs that roamed a marsh during the Jurassic Period about 200 million years ago. These are known as "trace fossils" since it is hard to say whether the prints are from one or many different, in this case plant-eating, Dilophosaurus wetherilli. What became of them, who knows? Tyrannosaurus Rex didn't arrive on the scene until 65 million BC, 135 million years later and the above herbivore had long been extinct. Tapir and Friends Animal Store encourages people to study the facts about dinosaurs and extinct animals and to become comfortable with the incredibly long history of life on the planet. See the wide selection of plastic dinosaurs and dinosaur skeleton puzzles for sale. They are so useful for science projects and as teaching devices.

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This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.