If you ever need a gallon of synthetic scorpion venom

Part of the shock of gasoline prices comes from the way the cost is displayed in numbers big enough to be visible as you drive by. But what if other liquids had to display their cost in big, bold numerals?

This is some of what you'd see:

• One gallon of tap water in USA: 0.3 cents, not including monthly meter rate.

• One gallon of regular gasoline in Caracas, Venezuela: 12 cents, according to news reports.

• One gallon of regular gasoline in Germany: $8.60, according to news reports.

• One gallon of grade A maple syrup: $59.98, from Parker's Maple Barn online store.

• One gallon of human blood: $2,000. (That's $250 per pint, an approximate price that varies greatly depending on type and supply.)

• One gallon of Hewlett Packard black printer ink: $3,200. (That's $25/ounce, based on some online tests; the company does not release a volume figure for its cartridges.)

• One gallon of Chanel No. 5 perfume: $33,280, or $260/ounce at the company's online store. (Chanel doesn't seem to sell the perfume in gallons.)

• One gallon of synthetic scorpion venom, used in medical research: $1 million or more, according to various online sources.