I’ve noticed that a lot of educational toys are always based on animals. I suppose that kids need to learn about animals before they learn that the real world has nothing to do with them.

Okay, that was cynical. Yeah, I know there are many careers available for those who have an interest in animals, and now parents have a way to develop their children’s interest in animals with the Discovery Channel’s Smart Animal Scanopedia.

The Scanopedia comes with a handheld scanner, a laminated sheet full of animals, and a plastic animal figure. When you scan the sheet or figure, the scanner tells you a lot of pertinent information like what the animal sounds like, as well as its habitat.

The toy even allows you to take quizzes on the information your child has learned like guess that call, guess that habitat, and where in the world does the animal live. I believe that more animals are unlocked as you do the quizzes.

It looks like the Smart Animals Scanopedia is one of those toys where you amass a collection. It reminds me of these “Wild Animal cards” they used to make back in the day. Every month, you would get a new deck, complete with animal photo and lots of information.

If you’re interested in starting your collection, you should be able to purchase this guy from the Discovery Channel site soon for a price of $29.99.

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