In the designs of Persian carpets and Oriental rugs, animals, birds, and insects are often displayed. They can be highly stylized, or extremely realistic like the wild animals on the hunting designs of some Persian rugs. Bat, bee, beetle, butterfly, crab, camel, deer, dog, dove, dragon, duck, lion, elephant, magpie, parrot, peacock, phoenix, rooster, scorpion, sparrow, squirrel, stork, tarantula, tiger, and tortoise are the animals most frequently found in the pattern of Oriental or Persian carpets. As you might have expected, most of these creatures have a symbolic value above and beyond their mere decorative presence and meaning.
The scorpion and the tarantula denote viciousness and poison, and also represent defense. They are often found in the borders of Caucasian rugs such as Kazak and Shirvan. Perhaps their continued presence beneath the feet teaches children to be fearless and therefore diminishes the risk of them being stung by attempting to run away from a live example.
The camel denotes wealth and happiness. This is a logical symbol since this animal is both an invaluable means of transportation for desert nomads and a great source of food as well. The crab seems to have no symbolic significance, although it is, of course, one of the great astrological signs. Three universal power symbols are the dragon, the elephant, and the lion. The elephant is a symbol of royalty in India. The dragon symbolizes evil in Persia and death in India, whereas it represents a commanding power in China.