Ladybug

Check out our ladybug.

This engaging, realistic, plastic ladybug is made of hard durable plastic. It is 1 1/2 inches long and 1 1/8 inches wide. It makes a good replica in a shoe box diorama or for any school project. It is also an excellent party favor. Check out our other ladybug toys and gifts.

The ladybug is general term of a family of beetles, Coccinellidae, with over 5000 species. In some parts of the world they are called ladybirds or lady beetles. They are small, about 3/8 inch and are generally orange,scarlet or yellow with black spots on their wing covers. This bright coloration acts as a defense mechanism against predators, who associate it with toxicity or acrid odor. In fact, the ladybug secretes an oily yellowish substance from its leg joints when roughly handled. The ladybug is a useful insect since it eats garden pests such as aphids, mites, and mealybugs. It is fun to find them and watch them crawl about, but sometimes they can be a household pest as well. I have seen them hatch by the hundreds.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Oliver the stuffed pig

Our adorable stuffed pig,"Oliver".

Our stuffed pink pig is 10 inches long from nose to rump with an additional 1 1/2-inch, white-tufted curled tail. Handcrafted beautifully by Hansa, this pig has many fine features, including hooves painted to appear cloven, ears stitched to a realistic shape, a detailed mouth, and a fabric tongue. Our pink pig is sturdy, has posable front legs and stands 7 inches tall. Let him become a family member. He is clean and loving, and fits nicely in a stuffed animal collection. Be sure to see our other pig toys and gifts.

The words pig, hog and swine are generic terms and may be used interchangeably without regard to gender, size or breed. A male pig is called a boar. A female pig is called a gilt if she hasn't had piglets yet, or called a sow if she has had a litter. The pig originated as a Eurasian wild boar and was domesticated by early farming people. The pig is known as an even-toed ungulate having four toes, although it walks on only two. It is an incredibly intelligent animal with a brain size similar to humans. It keeps clean and only rolls in the mud to cool off, since it lacks sweat glands. It has been a valuable food supply for generations of people from many cultures. Some religions, such as Judaism and Islam, have prohibitions regarding eating pork. This is not because the pig is externally dirty, but because it doesn't have cud to redigest.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Trilobite

Is our Trilobite awesome or what?

Made of solid plastic, this trilobite's superior design and details make it a museum-quality replica or collector's item, and yet the price puts it in range for the average collector of plastic animals. Topside details include blue-gray eyes and the three ridged lobes for which it was named. The underside also shows the three segments and details of the trilobite's anatomy. It measures 2 inches wide by 3 inches long. The word "Trilobite" is embossed on the underside. Our model trilobite is made in Germany and hand painted; it comes with an informational tag in both German and English. This sturdy, durable trilobite is also excellent for school projects, novelties, party favors or even as a children's toy. Our plastic trilobite is for decoration or play only. It does not float, and should NOT be put in your aquarium with living fish or other aquarium dwellers. However, you can make a terrific ancient sea life shoebox diorama using this wonderful plastic trilobite replica.

About Trilobites

Trilobites were an early form of life on earth that have left many fossils, some of which has been made into beautiful jewelry. They appeared about 600 million years ago during the Cambrian period and ruled the earth for about 350 million years. Their descendants include centipedes, spiders, shrimps and insects. Trilobites lived in shallow seas, swimming, crawling, and burrowing. They evolved into many different forms during their reign. You can learn more about these interesting creatures at trilobite.com.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Tapir

Check out our awesome stuffed tapir.

Our stuffed tapir from Hansa is hand-made in the Philippines and is based on the look of a real animal. This tapir is special! Not only are toy tapirs as rare and endangered as their real-life counterparts, but this one embodies Hansa's dependable quality construction and lifelike appearance. Hansa creates each animal with great care from the drawing board to the last stitch. The animals are hand made, the fabrics designed and purchased in small quantities to suit each design. The dark fur is a chocolate brown; the light fur is white. Yanisa's eyes have a plastic lid over them, giving them character and appeal. We have to tell you that the tail is white, not dark as in a real tapir but we hope her shining personality makes up for this.

We've named our tapir "Yanisa," after the half-Thai daughter of a Russian tapir fan and corespondent. The name sounds beautiful, but it also means "Wisdom" in the Thai language. One of our favorite tapir quotes comes from Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, who, after describing in the book Travelers' Tales Thailand, said: "Many years earlier, a traveler in Burma had described the tapir as 'an enigma,' a survivor of a 'more gentle and legendary time . . . wandering in unique isolation in a world not yet mature enough for its wisdom.'" So, what better name could we choose for this beautiful tapir?

This tapir's feet are quite realistic with a lifelike soft hoof on each of the toes. In addition, it is one of the few tapir toys we've seen that has the correct number of digits per foot! Yanisa has four toes on each front foot, and three on each back foot. You have to look carefully to see that fourth toe, but it is there! Look at the pleasing face and "signature" long tapirlike nose. Our stuffed tapir stands 7 1/2 inches tall and measures 13 1/2 inches long. Check out our other tapir toys and gifts. Read more about real tapirs on our Tapir Gallery web site. You can also contribute to their conservation through Club Tapir. Your Club Tapir donation does not have to be processed separately, but can be added to your shopping cart! Your purchase helps save endangered animals!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Spider with yellow spots

Look at our creepy spider with yellow spots!

Our yellow-spotted spider is made of hard plastic and measures 1 7/8 inches. This plastic spider is great for school projects, toys, novelties, animal collections, party favors and more. You can make a wonderful spider diorama using this and other plastic spiders from our gift shop.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Three-toed Sloth

Isn't our Three-Toed Sloth adorable?



This plastic three-toed sloth is beautifully detailed, with nicely moulded fur and facial features. Each foot has three long claws on it. Our plastic sloth measures 3 inches high to the top of its head, and 3 1/4 inches to the top of its arm. The bottom of the sloth is flat so it can sit easily on a table or shelf. The words "brady podidae" are moulded into the bottom. That should be "bradypodidae" (all one word), which is the family name of this sloth. The plastic sloth's yellow-gold coloring and dusky face are like those of a real sloth. These rainforest animals are distributed throughout Central and South America. You can see photos and learn more about this animal on the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web page for three-toed sloths. Come check out our other sloth toys and gifts.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Lobster

Check out our lobster.

This colorful, educational plastic lobster is made hard hollow plastic. This replica has a detailed face and body with flexible antenna. It is red, yellow, black and white in color and very realistic. It promises not to pinch! It serves well for a school project, for a window display, a restaurant or wall decoration or as a gag gift. This lobster would also make a great decoration for your party table! Check out our other lobster toys and gifts.

About Lobsters

Lobsters are crustaceans that are either clawed or unclawed. The clawed lobsters are eagerly caught and are a multi-million dollar part of the seafood industry. They are found exclusively in the ocean. They live on rocky, sandy, or muddy bottoms from the shoreline to beyond the edge of the continental shelf. They generally live alone in crevices or in burrows under rocks. They have a strong exoskeleton and are light and nimble. Lobsters are omnivores, eating primarily small mollusks and occasional plant life. Although they see poorly, they have well-developed antenna to feel their way through murky water. They walk slowly, but when anxious, they propel themselves rapidly backwards, and have been measured to speeds up to 11 mph.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Grizzly Bear

Check out our awesome Grizzly bear!

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis, which translated means horrible Northern bear) are actually one of two subspecies of Brown bear (Ursus arctos); the other is the Kodiak (Ursus arctos middendorffi). Grizzlies get their name from the "grizzled" appearance of their coat that is created by the white tips of the long guard hairs on their back and shoulders. Their coat color can vary from light cream to black, but is generally darkish brown. Highly intelligent creatures, grizzlies find food by employing complex problem solving skills. Although mature grizzlies are very large - females are 200 to 450 pounds, males are 300 to 850 pounds - at birth the cubs are about the size of a rat, weighing only about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds. Factors leading to their endangered status include: destruction of habitat, accidental killing by hunters who mistake them for black bears, illegal killing (poaching), etc.

Check out the realistic details of this hollow plastic bear. Come see our wonderful assortment of grizzly or brown bear toys and gifts.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Centipede

Check out our realistic centipede.

Centipedes are terrestial arthropods. The word "centipede" is a general term for a many-legged insect with a pair of legs for each body segment. There are an estimated 8,000 species of centipedes ranging from the Arctic Circle to the the rainforests of South America. Centipedes have dangerous claws at the first appendage and can give a nasty sting. They tend to be nocturnal. They are usually found under rocks or in thick mulch. Most centipedes are small, but some reach 8 inches in length. The world's record is held by a centipede found in the Amazon River area, which reached over 12 inches in length.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Red-Ruffed Lemur

Isn't our red-ruffed lemur adorable?

This engaging-looking plastic red-ruffed lemur replica is made of solid plastic with a flexible tail. It is 2 1/2 inches long and 1 3/4 tall. The fur is detailed and the red-ruffed lemur is painted in dark red, black and white. Our red-ruffed lemur miniature has a concerned expression but promises not to bite. This lemur replica makes an interesting pet or gift and fits nicely into a shoebox diorama for a school project about Madagascar. Check out our other lemur toys and gifts.

About Red-ruffed Lemurs

Lemurs are prosimians. They are primates, but are not as highly evolved as monkeys or great apes. One easily recognizable feature that differs between the lemurs and other primates is the long, almost dog-like nose of the lemurs. Whereas the other primates rely more heavily on vision and hearing, lemurs rely more on their sense of smell. There are 11 species of true lemurs and 7 species of dwarf lemurs. Lemurs are found only in the woodlands on the island of Madagascar, and the Comoro Islands near Madagascar. The red ruffed lemur is known for its reddish coloring and thick neck ruff.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

GIANT Squid

Our giant squid is amazing!

Remember Jules Verne's character, Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus, in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? One of his most dramatic encounters involved a giant squid (Architeuthis dux) such as this one. We don't know much about the habits of giant squids because scientists have not actually found where they live! We do know that they are eaten by sperm whales, as their beaks have been found in the whales' stomachs.

While the average length of a giant squid is 60 feet long, our plastic squid is "only" 9 1/2 inches long. It can't do you any harm, but it can provide fun and a learning experience. Realistic in many details, our sturdy, solid plastic squid has real-looking sucker feet on the shorter tentacles and a beak where the tentacles attach to the squid. There are also suckers on the ends of the two long tentacles, which are bendable and somewhat posable. The shorter tentacles are very flexible, but they are not posable. The body of the squid including the short tentacles is almost 5 inches long. The eyes are prominently painted, the tail is realistically moulded, and there is even a mouth moulded into the bottom, just barely seen in the photo. Our squid is durable and sturdy, made of solid plastic, and is suitable for school displays, as a learning experience for children, as a wonderful gift for Jules Verne fans, as an addition to sea life collections, and it can also be used as a toy. It comes with an informational tag in English ("giant squid"), French ("le calmar geant"), German ("riesenkrake"), Italian ("seppia gigante"), and Spanish ("calamar gigante"). You can learn more about this fascinating creature of the deep on a web page called In Search of Giant Squid. Once you've seen what a fascinating and mysterious creature this is, we think you'll want to take one home!

Be sure to look over our other squid toys and gifts.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Great white shark

Check out our great white shark-it squirts water!

This playful plastic great white shark is made hollow plastic and is 9 inches long. This replica has a detailed face and body with a shark-like smile. It has yellow eyes and a squeaker in its throat and may float and it squirks water. It makes for a nice pet, bath toy, and fits into a shark collection or serves as a great gag and is fun for all kinds of games. It promises not to bite! Check out our other shark toys and gifts.

About Great White Sharks

The great white shark Carcharodon carcharias can be found is usually about 9 feet in length, but adults may be as much as 16 feet. They weigh around 2,000 pounds. It lives near the surface in warmer waters of the Pacific, the Caribbean, and along the coast of Africa. Some sharks follow the migration of sea lions, which they find a most tasty prey. The great white has a large conical-shaped snout, agray dorsal fin and a mottled white underside. Great white sharks, like many other sharks, have rows of teeth behind the main ones, allowing any that break off to be rapidly replaced. A great white shark's teeth are serrated and when the shark bites it will shake its head side to side and the teeth will act as a saw and tear off large chunks of flesh. Great whites often swallow their own broken off teeth along with chunks of their prey's flesh.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Badger

Check out our badger.

This plastic toy badger has nice details and is very sturdy and durable. It is made of hollow plastic, and is also light weight.  Check out our other badgers.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Moray Eel

Check out our moray eel.

Our garden eel is made of hard plastic and measures 1 5/8 inches tall.. This plastic eel is great for school projects, toys, novelties, animal collections, party favors and more. Our plastic garden eel is for decoration or play only. It does not float, and should NOT be put in your aquarium. However, you can make a marvelous 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. Come look over our other eel toys and gifts.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Zebra

Check out our zebra.

This realistic-looking toy zebra is sturdy and light-weight. It's made of hollow plastic and measures 3 3/4 inches long from nose to rear hoof and stands 3 inches tall.

The three species of these striped mammals are found only in Africa. The Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi), which is found in northern Kenya, and the mountain zebra (Equus zebra), which inhabit the mountains of southern and southwestern Africa, are endangered. Although the Plains zebra (Equus quagga) are not endangered, the population of this East Africa native is declining. Zebras are smaller in size than horses and greatly resemble the wild ass in habit--woodlands to open plains--and form--a short, erect mane, large ears, and a tufted tail. The stripes, which distinguish this animal from other members of the horse family, serve as protective coloration in its natural habitat. Like the giraffe, each zebra's markings are as unique as a person's finger prints. The chief enemies of the zebra are lions and hunters who kill zebras for their meat and hide.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Sea cucumber

Check out our sea cucumber.

Our sea cucumber is made of hard plastic and measures 2 1/4 inches from nose to tail. This plastic sea-floor creature is great for school projects, toys, novelties, animal collections, party favors and more. Our plastic sea cucumber is for decoration or play only. It does not float, and should NOT be put in your aquarium. However, you can make a superb 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. Best of all, there is no mess, no feeding, and no tank cleaning :) Be sure to look over our other miscellaneous aquatic toys and gifts.

About Sea Cucumbers

Sea cucumbers are from the phylum echinodermata—like starfish and sea urchins, but are classed as Holothuroidea. These animals are scavengers who primarily live in the benthic zone, namely on or along the bottom in deep or shallow water and feed on plankton and decaying matter. There are some 1,250 known species, and many of these animals are shaped like soft-bodied cucumbers.

Sea cucumbers feed on tiny particles flowing by, or by digging in the sediment by using 8 to 30 tube feet that look like tentacles surrounding their mouths. The animals break down these particles into even smaller pieces, which become fodder for bacteria, and thus recycle them back into the ocean ecosystem.

They have an amazing ability to squeeze through the narrowest crevices for safety by liquifying the structure of their body and then reattaching the fibers to make themselves firm again. In addition some sea cucumbers extract sticky tubules out of their anus that are toxic to enemies. These body parts are then quickly regenerated.

Sea cucumbers, particularly eggs and young larvae, are prey for fish and other marine animals. They are also enjoyed by humans, especially in Asia. Some varieties of sea cucumber known as gamat in Malaysia or trepang in Indonesia are reported to have excellent healing properties. Extracts are made into oil, cream or cosmetics. The effectiveness of sea cucumber extract has been the touted since it contains many of the important fatty acids necessary to play an active role in tissue repair.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Madagascar Day Gecko

Check out our magnificent madagascar day gecko!

This engaging, realistic-looking plastic Madagascar day gecko miniature is made of somewhat flexible hard plastic. This replica has detailed skin and is painted green with a white belly. This gecko replica has red-brown spots with distinct eyes. This Madagascar day gecko miniature makes for a nice pet, fits into a shoebox diorama for a school project, or serves as a great collectible. Check out our other gecko toys and gifts.

About Madagascar Day Geckos

The Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis) is a species of gecko found only in Madacascar. It is a large omnivorous gecko. It feeds on insects and spiders and on fruit. It can be found on tree trunks, branches and on the forest floor. Madgascar day geckos have been heavily collected in the pet trade and seem to do well in captivity. It is an attractive gecko due to the bright brick red spots its back and its distinctive splayed feet.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Orangutan

Check out this orangutan.

This is a small plastic orangutan toy.

The orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) are now found only in northern Sumatra and Borneo. In the Malay languge, orangutan means "Man of the forest. Right now, the biggest problem for orangutans in the wild is loss of forest habitat. The species is now fully protected by law throughout its range, but enforcement is difficult in remote areas.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Spiny Sun Star

Our spiny sun star is awesome!

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 Spiny Sun 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 sun star is white and has grooves and canals like a real starfish. It's name is printed on the underside. Come look through our entire collection of sea star toys and gifts.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Peacock

Our colorful peacock.

The peacock is one of our series of lively and lifelike plastic birds. The base plastic is white, and the colors are applied with paint. The birds are small and light-weight. We measure the size from beak to tail.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.