Palo de Sangre Tapirs from Colombia

Own a unique piece of cultural art!!

Our Carved Palo de Sangre Animal Figurines

Palo de sangre is the Spanish name for this rich, red wood which is popular for making cultural handcrafts and art in South America. The English translation is "bloodwood." It is the heartwood of the trees Brosimum paraense and Brosimum rubescens. The sapwood is yellowish-white. According to Wikipedia, "Palo de sangre has a fine texture and takes a high polish. The wood is very hard and has a tendency to blunt tools. The wood is used in decorative woodworking and woodturning. The Nature Conservancy considers this tree secure within its native range." Other sources give additional names: muirapiranga, satiné rubane, cacique, and cardinalwood (due to its red color). It keeps its color, and does not turn brown with age like some highly colored woods. See our full selection of bloodwood ("palo de sangre") hand-carved animals from Colombia.

Palo de sangre is carved into wonderfully attractive and charming animal figures in Colombia and other regions of tropical America. The bright red color is a natural property of the wood, as is the highly finished shine on the surface (evidenced by the reflected light in the photo). These animals are not varnished, stained, or painted, but come to you in their spectacular natural finish. Fortunately, the artisans who carve them are not restricted by any means or conventions to a particular template, so you get the benefit of each individual's vision and creativity. The wood also varies somewhat from one carving to the next as far as natural color, grain, and markings. Although the individual item is different from all others, the motifs are repeated. For example, crocodiles and manatees are more common; and tapirs are less common. We may be able to get several tapirs this month and none next month, for example. Or we may be able to get small otters one month and only large otters the next. We decided to show you each and every animal we have available, and you can order by the number. You will receive the exact item you see on the web site. The only order option for quantity is one per item, as no two are alike. These carved wood animals are imported to the US by the Tapir Preservation Fund. Your purchase helps support conservation of tapirs and their habitat.

Tapirs of Colombia

Colombia is the only country that is home to more than two species of tapir. Three distinct species and one subspecies inhabit the country. Mountain tapirs live in one chain of the Andes mountains, lowland tapirs live in much of the jungle (eastern) area of Colombia, and a very few Baird's tapirs live in the far north near the Isthmus of Panama. There is also a subspecies of lowland tapir called the Colombian tapir living in an isolated area called Santa Marta. Colombia is still a frontier for tapir discoveries. The Colombian tapir, a subset of the lowland tapir, was believed by some to be a distinct subspecies, but it was only clearly distinguished as such in the past few years. Some people believe that Baird's tapir, which can be found in a small pocket in the north of Colombia also ranges down the dense, barely-accessible western coast. There have been reports of sightings or tracks of Baird's tapir in the west, but no definitive evidence has been brought to light. We hope that Baird's tapir will someday be identified for certain as living along Colombia's west coast.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Bloodwood Turtles from Colombia

Come see our new line of hand-carved Palo de Sangre turtles!

Our Bloodwood Animals

Palo de sangre is the Spanish name for this rich, red wood which is popular for making cultural handcrafts and art in South America. The English translation is "bloodwood." It is the heartwood of the trees Brosimum paraense and Brosimum rubescens. The sapwood is yellowish-white. According to Wikipedia, "Palo de sangre has a fine texture and takes a high polish. The wood is very hard and has a tendency to blunt tools. The wood is used in decorative woodworking and woodturning. The Nature Conservancy considers this tree secure within its native range." Other sources give additional names: muirapiranga, satiné rubane, cacique, and cardinalwood (due to its red color). It keeps its color, and does not turn brown with age like some highly colored woods. See our full selection of bloodwood ("palo de sangre") hand-carved animals from Colombia.

Palo de sangre is carved into wonderfully attractive and charming animal figures in Colombia and other regions of tropical America. The bright red color is a natural property of the wood, as is the highly finished shine on the surface (evidenced by the reflected light in the photo). These animals are not varnished, stained, or painted, but come to you in their spectacular natural finish. Fortunately, the artisans who carve them are not restricted by any means or conventions to a particular template, so you get the benefit of each individual's vision and creativity. The wood also varies somewhat from one carving to the next as far as natural color, grain, and markings. Although the individual item is different from all others, the motifs are repeated. For example, crocodiles and manatees are more common; and tapirs are less common. We may be able to get several tapirs this month and none next month, for example. Or we may be able to get small otters one month and only large otters the next. We decided to show you each and every animal we have available, and you can order by the number. You will receive the exact item you see on the web site. The only order option for quantity is one per item, as no two are alike. These carved wood animals are imported to the US by the Tapir Preservation Fund. Your purchase helps support conservation of tapirs and their habitat.

Turtles of Colombia

Colombia is a South American country rich in ecological diversity. Unfortunately, it is also a relatively unstable country, both geographically and politically. Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Colombia is home to 15 active volcanoes and numerous fault lines that contribute to numerous eruptions and earthquakes, many resulting in substantial damage and loss of human life. The political upheaval between the current government and political dissidents creates an environment of violence and pollution that is difficult to overcome. Even with all these factors, however, numerous conservation and scientific missions are currently at work in Colombia seeking to preserve the environment and species of this amazing country.

Colombia is listed fourth in the world for its levels of fresh water, supplied by both rainfall and enormous river systems. Amongst other animals that benefit from its huge freshwater environments, Colombia is home to numerous turtle species, including the Colombian wood turtle (Rhinoclemmys melanostema), Dunn's mud turtle (Kinosternon dunni), the Colombian slider (Trachemys callirostris), and the Rio Magdalena river turtle (Podocnemis lewyana).

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.



Carved wood animals from Colombia

Hi All,

I've been posting some carved wood animals on our new web site. They arrived from Colombia a couple of weeks ago. The animals are carved of the native palo de sangre wood (meaning bloodwood), and come in varying shades of gorgeous red. The wood is so hard that when it's polished it looks like it has a varnish or finish on it, but actually, the shine is simply the natural wood surface finished and polished to a sheen by the artisans. They are just beautiful, and their purchase not only helps tapir conservation, but it helps the artisans who make the carvings.

The two critters shown here are jaguars. The top photo is a fairly typical carving, although each one is a little different. The one on the bottom is totally unique and actually a little freaky. Sergio thought it looked like a jaguar-mouse. I was thinking more like a were-jaguar or a were-rat. Let us know what you think. In any case, it is striking, primitive-looking, visceral, and the only one we've seen that looks like this. It has "content," as my art teacher would have said. You can read about the palo de sangre wood on the site and see the jaguars and other carved wood animals. I still have some fish and armadillos to put online.