This Spider Went to Sweden

Eric sent a photo of our super-realistic redknee tarantula in its new home in Sweden. He said:

"Thanks for the spider! Here she is in her natural habitat :) Greetings from Sweden /E"

Yikes! Is a human skull part of the spider's natural habitat? It certainly could be, and it looks pretty cool here in its terrarium habitat. Below is a close-up of our beautiful plastic toy tarantula! She looks real, and she makes a very easy-to-care-for pet, as you can see above. Can you think of interesting ways to use this spider?

The Mexican redknee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi) is a large terrestrial spider located along the western faces of the Mexican mountain ranges Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre del Sur. They live in self-dug burrows where they can avoid predators and ambush prey. Like most tarantulas, the Mexican redknee with kick course, irritating hairs off its abdomen and rear legs if frightened or surprised, rather than biting. The Mexican redknee is only slightly venomous to humans.

If you'd like, you can buy this spider replica in our store.

Eric sent another photo (thank you!). This time Lady Tarantula is emerging from her cave. I can't believe how real she looks! Can you see her?

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.

Makes You Want to Dance the Tarantella

Life-sized Tarantula Keychain available from

Tapir and Friends for $25.00

We have a number of spider products in our store, so why does this tarantula keychain scream "tarantella" to me? Maybe because it's almost the size of my hand and it's so animated-looking that I half expect it to either skittle away or come after me on dancing legs.

This spider keychain would be the perfect scary accessory to carry with you on Halloween night. Or you might love it so much you 'd want "Spidee" with you all year 'round. This is actually a beautiful beaded animal with its purple, shiny beads and sturdily-woven construction.

Visit AtitlanArts.com and Tapir and Friends Animal Store
We sell animal-themed gifts to raise funds for TAPIR conservation.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE!

Halloween Party Favors, Decorations, Gifts and Prizes

Trick Or Treat!!!

Our New Halloween/Samhain Page!

The first of many holiday pages to come, TPF presents all the creepy, crawly, sneaky, and scary animal toys and jewelry we offer in one place, just in time for your Halloween bash! Come vist and enjoy the festivities of the harvest season.

About Halloween

Halloween is a holiday celebrated around the world annually on October 31. Celebrations vary based on geography, culture, religon, and individual preference, but most feature a theme regarding the honoring of ancestors and recognizing the change in seasons from a time of abundance and fertility (Summer) to a time of cold and darkness (Winter). This holiday goes by the name Hallowe'en, All Hallows' Evening/Eve, Samhain, Samuin, and Parentalia.

In neopagan and pre-christian faiths, the holiday of Samhain (pronounced SOW-win) represents the last of three harvest festivals, signifying the end of Summer and the coming of Winter. In a practical sense, the holiday celebrates the end of agricultural work (the harvests are in, work's done, HOORAY!), but has a dark connotation that "what you have is all you have"...what you've harvested had to last until the next growing season. In a religious sense, Samhain is one of two holidays (the other is Beltaine, held May 1) that represent a short time of transition, where the boundries between our plane of existence and that of the Summerland (where the spirits of the dead reside) become thin and porous. Spirits of fallen friends and family can come calling, or may even be invited to attend meals in their honor (called Dumb Suppers). Mischevious spirits can wreak havok on the living on this night, and many people decorate themselves and their homes with wards against these poltergeists in the form of Jack-O-Lanterns and elaborate costumes.

The Christian holiday of All Hallows' Day or All Saints Day occurs on November 1, and so October 31 is "All Hallow's Eve". Both All Hallows' Day and All Souls Day (held on November 2) involve honoring those individuals who have passed away and praying for the recently dead to ensure their souls safely reach Heaven, and are therefore very similar to the older cultural beliefs of this time of year. Attitudes amongst modern Christians regarding Halloween vary widely, from cheerful acceptance of what they see as a childrens' night of fun to a horrible holiday of demon worship and blasphemy. I recently saw a Christian Halloween dance being advertised as "reclaiming what Satan has stolen". Many American public schools no longer offer Halloween celebrations because of potential conflicts within their communities regarding the holiday.

The holiday of Halloween involves many unique images and traditions. The Jack-O-Lantern, carved out of gourds and root vegetables, is a common sight throughout October. Goblins, vampires, werewolves, and other denizens of popular horror fiction decorate homes and workplaces. Games like bobbing for apples and corn mazes become popular. Trick-or-treating is a common tradition on this night. Orange and black dominate clothes, homes, and stores. Above all, any nocturnal, creepy, or ferocious animal features prominently in Halloween decor, costume, and gift-giving. Scorpions, spiders, and insects abound...the raven and the owl watch over trick-or-treaters and are harbingers of news...and of course, the black cat slinks through the shadows, watching to cross the unwary's path.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Tarantula

"A beautiful bunch of ripe banana!                              
Daylight come an' I wan' go home!
                          Hide the deadly black tarantula!
                                                     Daylight come an' I wan' go home!"

Our Plush Tarantula

Our exceptionally soft, stuffed tarantula toy spider by Fiesta measures 8 1/2 inches long. The eyes an legs are securely attached making this charming stuffed arachnid a suitable toy for all ages. 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 Spiders Page and Stuffed Beanies and Plush Puppets Page. Check out our terrific selection of 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.

Stuffed Tarantula

Soft? Yup! Cuddly? Absolutely! Cute? Ummm...that's up to you!

Our Plush Tarantula

Our exceptionally soft, stuffed tarantula toy spider by Fiesta measures 8 1/2 inches long. The eyes and legs are securely attached making this charming stuffed arachnid a suitable toy for all ages. 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 Spiders Page and Stuffed Beanies and Plush Puppets Page. Check out our terrific selection of 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.

inky but not dinky

Some people like spiders and others don't. I'm not sure how endearing this arachnid is. I found this spider sitting on its rope-like web (see its heavy strands) on a luscious green leaf in the Amazon Jungle in Para Province in Brazil. Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a large selection of realistic plastic spiders for sale. There is an interesting selection of stuffed tarantulas and interlocking tarantula puzzles. They are all harmless, for those of you who are faint at heart.

written by Lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Creepy, scary, fun facts about spiders!

This challenging 3-D tarantula puzzle can be found at Tapir and Friends Wildlife World online.

Spiders, like any other animal, fit into their own niche in the scheme of the planet. If they were somehow to disappear, we'd be overrun with insects. (And of course, we couldn't enjoy their beautiful webs!) I'm just glad that humans are not their prey. Sue found the following quote while reading Lisa Gardner's new book, Say Goodbye. Since it's a thriller, the information is calculated to be creepy. Here goes:

". . . spiders kill at an astonishing pace. One Dutch researcher estimates that there are some five trillion spiders in the Netherlands alone, each of which consumes about a tenth of a gram of meat a day. Were their victims people instead of insects, they would need only three days to eat all sixteen and a half million Dutchmen."

~ From "Spider Woman," by Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, March 5, 2007.

The spider shown above is plastic, and will not behave like a real spider, although it looks a lot like one. We also have a very soft cuddly stuffed spider! See our toy and replica spiders here!