25 Animal-Shaped Buildings from Around the World

A kindergarten shaped like a cat, a skyscraper shaped like an elephant, a hotel shaped like a crocodile — these are just a few of the forms that animal-shaped architecture has taken. Whether to reflect the role of the building, like a fisheries department shaped like a fish, or just for the sheer whimsy of it, like roadside attractions shaped like dinosaurs and whales, this “zoomorphic” style appears all over. 

Here are 25 examples of animal architecture from around the world:

KINDERGARTEN WOLFARTSWEIER
Karlsruhe, Germany 

(via karlsruhe.de)

A kindergarten shaped like a cat.

CORRUGATED CREATIONS
Tirau, New Zealand

(photograph by Emilee Rader)

(photograph by Sandy Austin)

An information center and a wool outlet shaped like a dog and sheep.

DUCK OF FLANDERS
Flanders, New York

(photograph by Allison Meier)

An egg shop shaped like a duck.

LUCY THE ELEPHANT
Margate City, New Jersey

(photograph by Silver2Silicon)

A building shaped like an elephant.

FRESHWATER FISHING HALL OF FAME
Haywadrd, Wisconsin

(photograph myheimu)

Fishing hall of fame shaped like a musky fish.

DOG BARK PARK INN
Cottonwood, Idaho

(photograph by erin_pass)

(photograph by Jacob Feuer)

B&B shaped like a beagle.

MACAU PAVILION
Shanghai, China

(photograph by Paula/Flickr user)

The Macau Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, shaped like a rabbit.

WHALE BUILDING
Simonoseki, Japan

(via Wikimedia)

A building in a Japanese park shaped like a whale.

CRAB BUILDING
Dagupan, Philippines

(photograph by Simon Burchell)

A Philippines building shaped like a crab.

BALADE DES GNOMES
Durbuy, Belgium

(via labaladedesgnomes.be)

A hotel room shaped like a Trojan horse. 

TURTLE BUILDING
Niagara Falls, New York

(photograph Steve Moskowitz)

A building in Niagara Falls shaped like a turtle. (Want to redevelop it?)

FISHERIES DEPARTMENT
Hyderabad, India

(photograph by Nagaraju raveender)

A fisheries department shaped like a fish.

GIANT KOALA
Dadswells Bridge, Australia

(photograph by KnitSpirit)

(photograph Sascha Grant)

A tourist complex shaped like a koala.

ELEPHANT TOWER
Bangkok, Thailand

(photograph by Jarcje/Wikimedia)

A skyscraper shaped like an elephant.

KISHI STATION
Kinokawa, Japan

(photograph by Meredith P.)

This train station is shaped like a cat, and has a cat station master named Tama. In fact, there’s also a train there with a cat face: 

(via Wikimedia)

BLUE WHALE
Catoosa, Oklahoma

(photograph by Doug Wertman)

A swimming hole structure shaped like a whale.

CABAZON DINOSAURS
Cabazon, California

(photograph by Don Graham)

A gift shop shaped like a dinosaur, which also houses a creationism museum. Seriously.

CROCODILE HOTEL
Jabiru, Australia

(via ihg.com)

A Holiday Inn shaped like a crocodile.

CONCH SHELL HOUSE
Isla Mujeres, Mexico

(photograph by Theron LaBounty)

A house shaped like a conch shell.

NAUTILUS HOUSE
Mexico City, Mexico

(photograph Mahfuz Ahmed)

A house shaped like a nautilus.

KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN
Marietta, Georgia

(photograph Kevin Trotman)

A KFC shaped like a chicken.

BIG BULL
Wauchope, Australia

(photograph by Peter Woodard)

A viewing platform shaped like a bull (sadly torn down in 2007).

L’HEMISFERIC
Valencia, Spain

(photograph by Never House)

An oceanographic park shaped like a fish.

LONGHORN GRILL
Amado, Arizona

(photograph by cobalt123)

A steakhouse shaped like a longhorn skull.