27 Buildings That Look Just Like Animals

Sadly, this bull-shaped structure in Wauchope, Australia, has been torn down, but the massive concrete Holstein was once a popular roadside attraction that housed a beef-themed gift shop.

The Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel (formerly known as the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn) in Australia’s Kakadu National Park honours the iconic Aussie reptile, but is best viewed from above.

If you’ve ever wanted to spend the night in a B&B shaped like a dog, then head to this Idaho inn and check into a 30-foot-tall canine dubbed “Sweet Willy.”

Built from corrugated scrap iron, the Big Sheep Wool Gallery was erected in 1994 to serve as a wool shop and souvenir store in a remote New Zealand farming outpost of the tiny farming outpost of Tirau.

Now abandoned, this one-time seafood restaurant in the Philippines was shaped after the alimango – or mud crab – that’s a popular crustacean dish in southeast Asia.

Very little is known about this strange Indonesian structure – which has been nicknamed the “chicken church,” built by a man who claimed he was given the idea to construct a chicken-shaped place of worship in the middle of the jungle thanks to a vision from the Almighty.

While the guy who built the Indonesian chicken church wanted the end result to look the way it does, apparently the architects who designed the Church by the Sea in Madeira Beach, Florida, didn’t intend for the church to resemble a curious chicken – it just worked out that way.

Can you handle one more chicken building? Known locally as “the Big Chicken”, this KFC in Marietta, Georgia, actually didn’t begin its life as such; the original steel-sided structure (with moving beak and eyes) was originally built to house an eatery called Johnny Reb’s Chick-Chuck-‘N’-Shake, which eventually became a KFC franchise.

A few years after, this corrugated iron dog was built right next to the sheep, with the dog serving as the local visitors’ centre.

Unveiled in 2013, this dragon-shaped steel bridge in Vietnam is 1,864 feet long and, at night, is illuminated by more than 2,500 LED lights. And just for fun, it has also been designed to shoot giant flames and huge jets of water.

A roadside attraction in Flanders, New York, this 20-foot-tall reinforced-concrete duck was built by farmer Martin Maurer to serve as an egg emporium.

Built to house the National Fisheries Development Board offices in the Indian city of Hyderabad, this building takes its fishy purpose quite literally.

The Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Hayward, Wisconsin, is housed within this ginormous fibreglass muskie, featuring a toothsome observation deck that can accommodate up to 20 people.

The jewel of the tiny Australian town of Dadswell Bridge is this 46-foot-tall Giant Koala Tourist Complex is home to an adjacent restaurant, ice cream and lollipop shop, outdoor BBQ area and a small zoo that houses two actual (and far smaller) koalas.

Constructed for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China, the Macau Pavilion has, for good reason, become nicknamed the Jade Rabbit.

Inspired by the classic tale of the Trojan Horse, this equine structure in Durbuy, Belgium, is part of the La Balade des Gnomes Hotel, and includes Hobbit-like guest rooms within that were inspired by ‘Lord of the Rings’.

This turtle-shaped structure was opened for business in 1980 as the Native American Centre for the Living Arts in Niagara Falls, New York. Unfortunately, the cultural institution was not a success, and shut down about a decade later. Currently abandoned, the city is currently seeking redevelopment proposals for what to do with the 67,000-square-foot turtle.

Located in Corona Del Mar, California, this home has been built to resemble a huge whale, and people regularly do a double take when driving by.

Located in Simonoseki, Japan, this whale-shaped building is located in a public park.

Described as the only elephant “you can walk through and come out alive,” Lucy was built in 1881 in Margate, New Jersey, near Atlantic City, and stands six stories high. Once serving such varied functions as a summer cottage, real estate office and tavern, Lucy is now a local tourist attraction.

The Chang Building in Bangkok, Thailand, is affectionately known the Elephant Tower, this 32-story tusked structure holds the record of world’s largest elephant-shaped building formerly held by New Jersey’s Lucy.

They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that definitely holds true for this long-abandoned steakhouse in he town of Amado, built to resemble the skull of a massive cow skull resting against a boulder.

Once a roadside attraction in Los Angeles, this iconic eatery shaped like a pipe-smoking bulldog was an L.A. fixture until it was demolished in 1966. However, a replica (pictured) had been on display in the city’s Petersen Automotive Museum until that part of the museum was slated for renovation in 2009; it was saved by an enterprising hot-rod enthusiast who planned to use it as the centrepiece of a new restaurant.

The Kishi Train Station in Wakayama, Japan, was known for its mascot, Tama the Stationmaster Cat, who called the station home until her death in 2015. When the station was subsequently upgraded, Tama’s memory was honoured with some unique architectural changes that led the building itself to resemble a cat.

The Universum Science Center in Bremen, Germany, looks like a giant chrome clam shell.

The snail-shaped Keong Emas Imax Theatre in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta has become one of the city’s most popular attractions. “Keong Emas,” by the way, translates to “golden snail.”

A recent addition to Hamilton, Ont., Ralph the Dog may not be a building, but he is a “living” statue comprised of three separate wire frames (which have been outfitted with irrigation hoses) and covered with Carex buchananii (leatherleaf sedge), a New Zealand sage that was grown in greenhouses. Ralph is expected to remain on display in Hamilton throughout the summer of 2018.