Plastic Goldfish School?

Last week, while visiting an apartment rented to a Hispanic family in Redmond, Oregon, I spied a bowl of goldfish sitting on a table. In my broken Spanish I asked the residents' 6 year girl about her pets and she proceeded to reply in words that were incomprehensible to me. However her smile told me that she loved watching her fish and clearly took care of them well.  As an owner of two aquariums, one fresh water and one saltwater, I understood her pleasure. Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a large selection of plastic fish, especially plastic goldfish of various sizes. for many uses such as science projects, as collectibles, and as party favors. However, they are not useful for making sushi!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

How Much Wood would a ...........

Since it is February and it is snowing here like crazy, it is clear our stuffed groundhog friend here did not see his shadow. A groundhog is often called a marmot or a woodchuck. In any case this furry rodent is one of the many fine examples to be found in the gift shop at Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Soft Play Posable Octopus Available in Limited Quantity!

ONLY A FEW LEFT IN STOCK!

Our VERY popular posable plastic/rubbery octopus is back in stock, but not for long! Once they are gone, there will be no more until summer. They go out fast enough that we know we're going to be clean out and beseiged with requests that we can't fill for several months. It's not fun, but that's the way it goes. If you want your floating, foam-filled, realistic, floppy, fun, latex-covered octopus with posable tentacles, I suggest you order now!

Another name for this octopus is BENTACLES, because the tentacles bend and stay positioned where you put them.

Our Soft Play Latex Octopus

This realistic-looking plastic-coated soft play octopus is a terrific replica. It is 21 inches long, but will stretch out to 26 inches when you pull on the partially posable tentacles. It is also 6 inches tall. Our octopus replica has a hard latex coating and a soft inner body possibly made of foam. It is an excellent toy for children because it is light weight and durable. It serves as an educational toy for a science project or as a gag or unusual gift. Check out our other octopi toys and gifts.

About Octopi

Octopi are cephalopods that can be found in rocky areas especially among coral reefs in the oceans throughout the world. The octopus has 8 arms which trail behind it when it swims. It is considered to be the most intelligent animal of all invertabrates. It emits a cloud of inky substance as a defense against predators as well as possessing a venomous bite. Most octopuses have a short life span of no longer than six months.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Orange Rubber (Plastic) Octopus Back in Stock

Our popular flexible 5 1/2-inch rubbery plastic octopus is back in stock and ready to travel!

This bright orange octopus is made of soft plastic and is slightly squeezable. This plastic octopus is great for school projects, toys, novelties, animal collections, party favors and more. Our plastic octopus is for decoration or play only and should NOT be put in your aquarium. However, you can make a wonderful sea-life or aquarium shoebox diorama using this and other plastic aquatic creatures and mammals, sharks, fish, sea turtles, birds, and decor from our gift shop.

Check out our terrific selection of octopus toys and gifts.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Necklace Sea Star

This necklace starfish has many uses.  It can not only be used by children as a toy or in a school project, its beautiful details make it great as a decoration on a cake!

Starfish are not really fish. They are spiny invertebrates called echinoderms. Other echinoderms are sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers. To avoid confusion, biologist prefer to call them "sea stars".

Our Necklace Sea Star will add a colorful splash to your sea-life diorama or school project. You'll find it useful for undersea dioramas, school projects, toys, novelties, animal collections, party favors and more. Our plastic sea star is for decoration or play only. It does not float, and should NOT be put in your aquarium. However, you can make an awesome sea-life or aquarium shoebox diorama using this and other plastic aquatic creatures and mammals, sharks, fish, sea turtles, birds, and decor from our gift shop. There is no mess, no feeding, and no tank cleaning :)

The underside of our 2 1/4-inch plastic sea star is white and has grooves and canals like a real starfish. It's name is printed on the underside. Come see our wonderful assortment of sea star toys and gifts.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Helmet Crab

Check out this wonderful, detailed, colorful crustacean!

Our helmet crab is made of hard plastic and measures 2 3/8 inches from side to side and 1 5/8 inches from front to back. Its name is moulded into the underside. This plastic crustacean is one of our series of lively and lifelike plastic animals. Its realistic shape and details will be enjoyed as part of a school project, diorama, plastic animal collection, as a party favor, or gift. Our helmet crab toy is for decoration or play only. It does not float, and should NOT be put in your aquarium. However, you can make an interesting sea-life or aquarium shoebox diorama using this and other plastic aquatic creatures and mammals, sharks, fish, sea turtles, birds, and decor from our gift shop. There is no mess, no feeding, and no tank cleaning :) Come see our wonderful assortment of crab toys and gifts.

Although there are over 50 crab families and 1000s of species, all crabs have basically the same body plan: four pairs of walking legs and one pair of claws (also called nippers or pincers). Their shell is actually their skeleton, called an exoskeleton, and protects their thorax, gills and the internal organs of the head. Like the octopus and sea star, if a crab loses a limb it will regenerate (grow back).

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Toucan

Check out this adorable, detailed plastic toucan.

This is one of our series of lively and lifelike plastic animals, or in this case, plastic birds. Its realistic shape and details will be enjoyed as part of a school project, diorama plastic animal collection, as a party favor, or gift.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Grab Your Trunk and Come For a Visit

Today Tapirgal is going to the zoo to see the animals, especially the tapirs. However it is hard to imagine a trip without visiting the elephants as well. There is much controversy about whether any zoo enclosure is appropriate for elephants, in light of the fact that elephants need such a large range to feel "at home." This can be said of lots of animals, including tapirs and most cats. Zookeepers are sensitive to observing animals who show signs of stress, but stress occurs in the wild as well, where animals must constantly be in search of food and water, be wary of predators, and face constant attack from insects.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wonderful selection of plastic elephants which are suitable for science projects, as collectibles and as party favors. Drop in and see our online zoo.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Great White Shark

Check out this amazing great white shark perfect as a gift for a shark lover or as a party favor!

The great white shark is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. Great white sharks are well know for their size and have been know to exceed 20 feet in length and 5,000 lb in weight.  It reaches maturity at around 15 years of age and can have a life span of over 30 years.  Great white sharks live in almost all coastal and offshore waters which have water temperature between 12 and 24 °C (54 and 75 °F).

Great white sharks are carnivorous, and prey upon fish, seals, sea otters, and seabirds to name a few.  They have also been known to eat objects that they are unable to digest.  These sharks prefer prey with a high content of energy-rich fat like seals.  Great white sharks' reputation as ferocious predators is well-earned. They like to ambush their prey taking them by suprise from below.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Spotted Eagle Ray is Back!

Our wonderfully detailed spotted eagle ray is back in stock!

This spotted eagle ray is perfect for a school project or just fun to have as a toy or collectable!

This beautiful chocolate and gold plastic spotted eagle ray will make a fun addition to your collection of aquatic animals. You'll appreciate its realistic details. Our plastic (vinyl) ray measures 4 inches in each direction - from nose to tail and also across the wings. As you can see in our photos, the underside is detailed with a mouth and gills, and the words "SPOTTED EAGLE RAY" are moulded into the body. Each sturdy vinyl stingray comes with an informational tag in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Come look through our entire collection of ray toys and gifts.

The spotted eagle ray can be found in coastal waters of most temperate and equatorial continents and around some island. I was fortunate enough to see one while snorkeling off the coast of Belize in February 2005. While sting rays tend to be shy of snorkelers and swimmers, people should be aware that their tail contains venom that is poisonous to humans. For more complete information and some interesting photos, see the Florida Museum of Natural History's web page on the spotted eagle ray. If you scroll down the page, you'll see one with ringed spots similar to the one in our gift shop.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Louse (Lice)

Check out this unique stuffed louse!

Our Stuffed Louse Toy

This engaging, realistic-looking stuffed louse is soft and floppy. It is made of durable soft plush. The legs and antennae are made of plush fabric. Our louse is gentle and loving and promises not to bite. Check out our other lice toys and gifts.

About Lice

The word louse, singular for lice, is a common term for a large number of different kind of lice. Different kinds of lice are found on a myriad of host animals, including humans. Lice are so differentiated that various body parts have their own kind of lice. Humans are afflicted primarily by head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis), body lice (Pediculus humanus humanus), which live in clothing, and others, which live in body hair. The louse looks like a small flat ant. It feeds on skin debris and sucks blood. It produces eggs called nits which attach to the host's hair. The louse is an irritant for many animals, especially birds and monkeys. Much itching and scratching are the result of bothersome lice. Many animals get help from other animals to pick them off. Humans can treat head lice by cutting hair shorter, combing with a stiff comb and by shampooing with various special conditioners.

The Tag on Our Stuffed Louse Says:

FACTS: Lice infestations are one of the most common communicable conditions suffered by children. Nevertheless, as unsanitary conditions are sometimes believed to promote lice, their appearance can quickly put sufferers (not to mention parents and school administrators) in a very hairy situation!

In fact, head lice are generally indifferent to environmental conditions beyond their natural territory, namely the scalp. (Most lice can't even survive for more than a day or so away from the heat of the body.) In addition, lice can't fly orjump, so transmission most commonly occurs through direct bodily contact or through sharing of personal items such as combs, hats, sweaters, and towels.

Still, close quarters can certainly contribute to the spread of lice. In the World War I trenches, lice was rampant and soldiers cropped their hair short to try to avoid the "cooties" (a term thought to derive from the Malay word kutu, or biting parasite - though how the word traveled to the trenches is unknown.)

If you do discover a lice infestation, there are special shampoos, and even chemical treatments, that can be used to address it. Specialty fine-tooth combs can also help pick lice and nits (or lice eggs) from hair. Finally, bedding and clothes should be well cleaned - and perhaps even discarded. Worth remembering if you're feeling lousy!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.