We Needed an Aardvark

Buy this toy aardvark at Tapir and Friends

It's been awhile since Tapir and Friends had a plastic aardvark figurine. We used to have several, and they were all discontinued. Aardvarks are such interesting and unusual animals that they are always popular with our customers, so when we got a request recently, we did a little research and found that a new one had been produced by Safari, Ltd. We love its realism, and at 5 inches long, it can easily serve as a toy, a cake topper, a unique gift, or become part of a diorama on South African wildlife. Aardvarks use their strong claws and feet to burrow into the earth looking for ants and termites and for digging holes to live in. Their name in Afrikaans means "earth pig," which I've always thought was pretty cool :-)  

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Cockroach 3D Puzzle

Unlike the real thing, these ARE destructible!

Our Plastic 3D Cockroach 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 body is 3 1/2 inches long. 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 Cockroaches

A cockroach is a general term for a number of species from the order Blattodea. The American species is omnivorous and can be found most anywhere in garbage or around rotting food in the kitchen. Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal and will run away when exposed to light. They are incredibly resilient insects with some species capable of remaining active for a month without food, or being able to survive on limited resources like the glue from the back of postage stamps. Some cockroaches can go without air for 45 minutes and can live without a head for a long time. The lifespan of a cockroach is about a year (assuming it has its head).

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Fly 3D Puzzle

You won't want to shoo THIS fly away!!

Our 3D Fly 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 body is 3 inches long. 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 House Flies

The common house fly (Musca domestica) is from the order Diptera, meaning two-winged, although the house fly actually has only one pair of wings. It has an excellent avoidance reaction due to its sensitivity to air movement. The house fly transmits diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and salmonella and is a menace in poorer areas. The house fly eats only liquids. It spits out saliva onto solid food to pre-digest it. Then it sucks the food back in through its proboscis, spits the food back out again and re-eats it. The house fly is a master at walking upside-down and walking on vertical surfaces. It accomplishes this feat by secreting adhesive juices from glands above its feet. Also the house fly is constantly preening its hairy legs. It must do this in order to keep the smell and taste receptors on the tiny hairs clean and viable.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Dilophosaurus 3D Plastic Puzzle

My...what lovely teeth you have!!

Our Plastic 3D Dilophosaurus 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 dinosaur model measures 5 inches from nose to tail and 3.5 inches tall. It comes assembled. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed dinosaur 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 dinosaur toys.

About Dilophosaurus

Dinosaurs represent the dominant terrestrial lifeforms on planet Earth for 135 million years, from the beginning of the Jurassic period through the end of the Cretaceous period approximately 65 million years ago. While no human ever lived during the age of dinosaurs, modern palentologists have learned much studying the fossilized remains of these magnificent creatures.

Dilophosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur that existed about 193 million years ago. Fossils of dilophosaurus were originally found in 1942 in Arizona. Dilophosaurus could grow to be 20 feet long, and it's estimated they weighed as much as 1000 pounds.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Cockroach 3D Puzzle

And if you think he's too creepy, you can take him apart!!

Our Plastic 3D Cockroach 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 body is 3 1/2 inches long. 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 Cockroaches

A cockroach is a general term for a number of species from the order Blattodea. The American species is omnivorous and can be found most anywhere in garbage or around rotting food in the kitchen. Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal and will run away when exposed to light. They are incredibly resilient insects with some species capable of remaining active for a month without food, or being able to survive on limited resources like the glue from the back of postage stamps. Some cockroaches can go without air for 45 minutes and can live without a head for a long time. The lifespan of a cockroach is about a year (assuming it has its head).

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Aardvark Toy

Look who's back at TPF!!!

Our Stuffed Aardvark

Our wonderfully realistic-looking stuffed aardvark by Hansa is a toy that looks amazingly like a real animal. The plush aardvark is 12 1/2 inches from nose to rump. Its tail adds another 10 inches to its length, and the pink fabric-covered tongue is posable and holds its position when you move it. The tongue is about 1 1/2 inches long. It is sewn with soft plush fabric with extra-soft white tufts around the eyes, ears, and chin. There are four toes on each front foot and five toes on each back foot. This is a good thing, because aardvarks are known for digging! It has gentle hard plastic eyes (black pupils with a ring of gold for the iris) pinkish brown inside the ears. Our stuffed aardvark replica has a kindly expression and promises to snuggle next to you. This aardvark makes a wonderful gift for stuffed animal lovers and complements nicely any stuffed animal collection. The fabric is produced in small batches and is chosen especially for this animal. Each piece is hand-stictched in the Philippines by crafters willing to produce a unique item each and every time. Check out our other aardvark toys and gifts.

Read more about Hansa stuffed animals and see our selection.

About Aardvarks

Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are African mammals of a medium size that are most active at night and are good at burrowing into the earth. Their name, "aardvark," comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig." This unusual-looking animal has many names locally, including "antbear" or "anteater," although it is not a close relative of the anteaters of South America. Neither is it closely related to a pig, but is somewhat isolated taxonomically and is the only member of the order Tubulidentata. It is not a true edetate, although we've listed it with our edentates on the web site so that people could find it. As odd as it sounds, the aardvark is most closely related to elephant shrews, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants. If we had put the aardvark in our elephant category, would you have found it? It's a strange thought!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Pachycephalosaurus 3D Puzzle

Bet he needed LOTS of asprin!

Our Pachycephalosaurus 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 dinosaur model measures 4.75 inches from nose to tail and 3 inches tall. It comes assembled. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed dinosaur 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 dinosaur toys.

About Pachycephalosaurus

Dinosaurs represent the dominant terrestrial lifeforms on planet Earth for 135 million years, from the beginning of the Jurassic period through the end of the Cretaceous period approximately 65 million years ago. While no human ever lived during the age of dinosaurs, modern palentologists have learned much studying the fossilized remains of these magnificent creatures.

Pachycephalosaurus is best known for a characteristic dome of bone crowning its skull. This dome can be as much as 10 inches thick. The purpose of such a formidable helmet of bone is still being debated by paleontologists. It's been suggested that pachycephalosaurus competed with each other by cracking their heads together in much the same way modern mountain goats do, in which case the thick dome of bone would be necessary to protect pachycephalosaurus's brain. Pachycephalosaurus was believed to be up to 15 feet long and weighed almost 1,000 pounds.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Dilophosaurus 3D Puzzle

Another star from Jurassic Park!!

Our Dilophosaurus 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 dinosaur model measures 5 inches from nose to tail and 3.5 inches tall. It comes assembled. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When complete, this highly-detailed dinosaur 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 dinosaur toys.

About Dilophosaurus

Dinosaurs represent the dominant terrestrial lifeforms on planet Earth for 135 million years, from the beginning of the Jurassic period through the end of the Cretaceous period approximately 65 million years ago. While no human ever lived during the age of dinosaurs, modern palentologists have learned much studying the fossilized remains of these magnificent creatures.

Dilophosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur that existed about 193 million years ago. Fossils of dilophosaurus were originally found in 1942 in Arizona. Dilophosaurus could grow to be 20 feet long, and it's estimated they weighed as much as 1000 pounds.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Aardvark

Don't worry...we all have red eyes in photos!

Our Plastic Aardvark

Our plastic aardvark is made of slightly flexible hard plastic and measures 4 inches from nose to tail. This aardvark is part of a series of plastic toys that is hollow, allowing for a little flexibility. It is also very strong. The features such as the fur, hooves, and lips are well defined and easy to see. Its name ("AARDVARK") is moulded into the underside of the toy. This plastic aardvark is great for school projects, toys, novelties, animal collections, party favors and more. You can make an interesting 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 :) Be sure to look over our other aardvark toys and gifts.

About Aardvarks

Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are African mammals of a medium size that are most active at night and are good at burrowing into the earth. Their name, "aardvark," comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig." This unusual-looking animal has many names locally, including "antbear" or "anteater," although it is not a close relative of the anteaters of South America. Neither is it closely related to a pig, but is somewhat isolated taxonomically and is the only member of the order Tubulidentata. It is not a true edetate, although we've listed it with our edentates on the web site so that people could find it. As odd as it sounds, the aardvark is most closely related to elephant shrews, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants. If we had put the aardvark in our elephant category, would you have found it? It's a strange thought!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Aardvark

Soft, cuddly, and definitely unique!

Our Plush Aardvark

Our wonderfully realistic-looking stuffed aardvark by Hansa is a toy that looks amazingly like a real animal. The plush aardvark is 12 1/2 inches from nose to rump. Its tail adds another 10 inches to its length, and the pink fabric-covered tongue is posable and holds its position when you move it. The tongue is about 1 1/2 inches long. It is sewn with soft plush fabric with extra-soft white tufts around the eyes, ears, and chin. There are four toes on each front foot and five toes on each back foot. This is a good thing, because aardvarks are known for digging! It has gentle hard plastic eyes (black pupils with a ring of gold for the iris) pinkish brown inside the ears. Our stuffed aardvark replica has a kindly expression and promises to snuggle next to you. This aardvark makes a wonderful gift for stuffed animal lovers and complements nicely any stuffed animal collection. The fabric is produced in small batches and is chosen especially for this animal. Each piece is hand-stictched in the Philippines by crafters willing to produce a unique item each and every time. Check out our other aardvark toys and gifts.

Read more about Hansa stuffed animals and see our selection.

About Aardvarks

Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are African mammals of a medium size that are most active at night and are good at burrowing into the earth. Their name, "aardvark," comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig." This unusual-looking animal has many names locally, including "antbear" or "anteater," although it is not a close relative of the anteaters of South America. Neither is it closely related to a pig, but is somewhat isolated taxonomically and is the only member of the order Tubulidentata. It is not a true edetate, although we've listed it with our edentates on the web site so that people could find it. As odd as it sounds, the aardvark is most closely related to elephant shrews, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants. If we had put the aardvark in our elephant category, would you have found it? It's a strange thought!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Aardvark

Yup, he's actually a little cousin to the elephant!

Our Plush Aardvark

Our wonderfully realistic-looking stuffed aardvark by Hansa is a toy that looks amazingly like a real animal. The plush aardvark is 12 1/2 inches from nose to rump. Its tail adds another 10 inches to its length, and the pink fabric-covered tongue is posable and holds its position when you move it. The tongue is about 1 1/2 inches long. It is sewn with soft plush fabric with extra-soft white tufts around the eyes, ears, and chin. There are four toes on each front foot and five toes on each back foot. This is a good thing, because aardvarks are known for digging! It has gentle hard plastic eyes (black pupils with a ring of gold for the iris) pinkish brown inside the ears. Our stuffed aardvark replica has a kindly expression and promises to snuggle next to you. This aardvark makes a wonderful gift for stuffed animal lovers and complements nicely any stuffed animal collection. The fabric is produced in small batches and is chosen especially for this animal. Each piece is hand-stictched in the Philippines by crafters willing to produce a unique item each and every time. Check out our other aardvark toys and gifts.

Read more about Hansa stuffed animals and see our selection.

About Aardvarks

Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are African mammals of a medium size that are most active at night and are good at burrowing into the earth. Their name, "aardvark," comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig." This unusual-looking animal has many names locally, including "antbear" or "anteater," although it is not a close relative of the anteaters of South America. Neither is it closely related to a pig, but is somewhat isolated taxonomically and is the only member of the order Tubulidentata. It is not a true edetate, although we've listed it with our edentates on the web site so that people could find it. As odd as it sounds, the aardvark is most closely related to elephant shrews, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants. If we had put the aardvark in our elephant category, would you have found it? It's a strange thought!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Aardvark stuffed animal by Hansa - back in stock!

We've missed our beautiful stuffed aardvark by Hansa, and so have our customers! We're happy to report that the aardvark is back in stock and ready for shipping. Now, who could resist those prominent pink ears and cool tongue? Come on over and take a look!

Our wonderfully realistic-looking stuffed aardvark by Hansa is a toy that looks amazingly like a real animal. The plush aardvark is 12 1/2 inches from nose to rump. Its tail adds another 10 inches to its length, and the pink fabric-covered tongue is posable and holds its position when you move it. The tongue is about 1 1/2 inches long. It is sewn with soft plush fabric with extra-soft white tufts around the eyes, ears, and chin. There are four toes on each front foot and five toes on each back foot. This is a good thing, because aardvarks are known for digging! It has gentle hard plastic eyes (black pupils with a ring of gold for the iris) pinkish brown inside the ears. Our stuffed aardvark replica has a kindly expression and promises to snuggle next to you. This aardvark makes a wonderful gift for stuffed animal lovers and complements nicely any stuffed animal collection. The fabric is produced in small batches and is chosen especially for this animal. Each piece is hand-stictched in the Philippines by crafters willing to produce a unique item each and every time. Check out our other aardvark toys and gifts.

Read more about Hansa stuffed animals and see our selection.

Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are African mammals of a medium size that are most active at night and are good at burrowing into the earth. Their name, "aardvark," comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig." This unusual-looking animal has many names locally, including "antbear" or "anteater," although it is not a close relative of the anteaters of South America. Neither is it closely related to a pig, but is somewhat isolated taxonomically and is the only member of the order Tubulidentata. It is not a true edetate, although we've listed it with our edentates on the web site so that people could find it. As odd as it sounds, the aardvark is most closely related to elephant shrews, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants. If we had put the aardvark in our elephant category, would you have found it? It's a strange thought!

Toy aardvarks? Yes, we have them!

Believe it or not, this hollow plastic aardvark is only one of THREE plasic aardvark toys we carry in our online store. We also have a stuffed aardvark by Hansa. Come on over and take a look!

Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are African mammals of a medium size that are most active at night and are good at burrowing into the earth. Their name, "aardvark," comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig." This unusual-looking animal has many names locally, including "antbear" or "anteater," although it is not a close relative of the anteaters of South America. Neither is it closely related to a pig, but is somewhat isolated taxonomically and is the only member of the order Tubulidentata. It is not a true edetate, although we've listed it with our edentates on the web site so that people could find it. As odd as it sounds, the aardvark is most closely related to elephant shrews, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants. If we had put the aardvark in our elephant category, would you have found it? It's a strange thought!

Animals from A to Z: Let's start with "A"

Let's start an alphabet game for the animals we have in our gift shop, OK? The idea isn't original, but it should be a lot of fun. Wow, look at all the animals that start with "A," and I haven't even starte on ants and alligators! We have anteater jewelry (shown above) . . .

. . . several kinds of aardvarks, including plastic aardvarks and stuffed aardvarks. We actually have more aardvarks than I've used in this post, so you'll have to visit our aardvark page to see them all!

This stuffed aardvark is extremely charming and fun to cuddle!

Our plush anteater is also a big hit. Fun to hold, nice and furry!

And here's an unusual critter, it's a giant armadillo!

Come visit our animals that start with "A" and all of the others, too!

Dilophosaurus Dinosaur 3-D Puzzle

Our 3-D interlocking plastic dinosaur puzzles continue to be popular, and for good reasons. They're fun, colorful, and they challenge your mind and hands. Have fun opening the plastic egg case and fitting the pieces together to create your own dinosaur! When he's put together, you can leave him on display, or put the pieces back for another time. Each 3-D puzzle comes with a schematic in case you get stuck, but we don't think you'll need it. We have a nice selection of dinosaur puzzles along with other interesting animals. Come check them out!

Dilophosaurus dinosaurs come from the Early Jurassic Period, and are named for the two crests on their heads. Dilophosaurus was not described until 1954.

Plastic prehistoric animal toys still shipping for Christmas!

This woolly mammoth puzzle is among the interesting prehistoric animals available in our online gift shop. They are in stock as of this posting and available for shipping in time for Christmas (along with many other animals we have in 3-D puzzle format!). In the US, we ship by Priority mail, which should take only 2-4 days to arrive, as we ship the same day we get your order.

Deinosuchus may look like a crocodile or alligator, but he's one of their ancient relatives.

Andrewarchus is a very strange "cat"! In fact, he's not a cat at all - or a dog - but is more closely related to hoofed animals. Look at those jaws! He was a hoofed predator - what an interesting toy to help a child to learn about life on Earth!

This is one of the saber tooth cats in our store. He's a puzzle you our your child (grandchild, etc.) can put together and take apart again. We also have a beautiful sabertooth cat that isn't a puzzle. Come have a look!

Stuffed aardvark by Hansa - wonderful stuffed animal!

As of today, they are still in stock and ready to ship to arrive before Christmas in the US by our regular Priority shipping - and overseas (hopefully) with expedited shipping.

Our stuffed aardvark by Hansa is really something special. Our wonderfully realistic-looking stuffed aardvark by Hansa is a toy that looks amazingly like a real animal. The plush aardvark is 12 1/2 inches from nose to rump. Its tail adds another 10 inches to its length, and the pink fabric-covered tongue is posable and holds its position when you move it. The tongue is about 1 1/2 inches long. It is sewn with soft plush fabric with extra-soft white tufts around the eyes, ears, and chin. There are four toes on each front foot and five toes on each back foot. This is a good thing, because aardvarks are known for digging! It has gentle hard plastic eyes (black pupils with a ring of gold for the iris) pinkish brown inside the ears. Our stuffed aardvark replica has a kindly expression and promises to snuggle next to you. This aardvark makes a wonderful gift for stuffed animal lovers and complements nicely any stuffed animal collection. The fabric is produced in small batches and is chosen especially for this animal. Each piece is hand-stictched in the Philippines by crafters willing to produce a unique item each and every time. Check out our other aardvark toys and gifts.

Read more about Hansa stuffed animals and see our selection.

Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are African mammals of a medium size that are most active at night and are good at burrowing into the earth. Their name, "aardvark," comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig." This unusual-looking animal has many names locally, including "antbear" or "anteater," although it is not a close relative of the anteaters of South America. Neither is it closely related to a pig, but is somewhat isolated taxonomically and is the only member of the order Tubulidentata. It is not a true edetate, although we've listed it with our edentates on the web site so that people could find it. As odd as it sounds, the aardvark is most closely related to elephant shrews, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants. If we had put the aardvark in our elephant category, would you have found it? It's a strange thought!

New stuffed aardvark in our store!

Our new stuffed aardvark is a charmer! Made by Hansa, this critter is 12 1/2 inches long and looks every inch like a real aardvark! The fabric-covered pink tongue is posable - move it into a new position and it stays there. Soft and lovable, this stuffed aardvark is hand-crafted in the Philippines and exhibits the quality and design features you've come to expect from Hansa, maker of some of the world's best collectible stuffed animals! Come see our new aardvark!

Pay less, get more . . . and make us smile, too!

Red-eyed plastic aardvark

March 7, 2006

I received the aardvark yesterday and it's perfect. It's intended as a mascot for my sister's car and we had had a hard time finding one that was just right.

The same is true of the otter which is now mounted on my husband's recumbent bicycle. Thank you so much for your great customer service. It was very refreshing to be contacted by a real person when there was the slightest change. As my husband, Chris, remarks "You don't get that kind of service when you buy a $3000 television set."

Regards,

Olga in Colorado

One of the best things about doing business at Tapir and Friends is the wonderful letters we get. Olga, thank you! We are smiling over here in Astoria!