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 

article-image(via karlsruhe.de)

A kindergarten shaped like a cat.

CORRUGATED CREATIONS
Tirau, New Zealand

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article-image(photograph by Sandy Austin)

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

DUCK OF FLANDERS
Flanders, New York

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(photograph by Allison Meier)

An egg shop shaped like a duck.

LUCY THE ELEPHANT
Margate City, New Jersey

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A building shaped like an elephant.

FRESHWATER FISHING HALL OF FAME
Haywadrd, Wisconsin

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Fishing hall of fame shaped like a musky fish.

DOG BARK PARK INN
Cottonwood, Idaho

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(photograph by erin_pass)

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B&B shaped like a beagle.

MACAU PAVILION
Shanghai, China

article-image(photograph by Paula/Flickr user)

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

WHALE BUILDING
Simonoseki, Japan

article-image(via Wikimedia)

A building in a Japanese park shaped like a whale.

CRAB BUILDING
Dagupan, Philippines

article-image(photograph by Simon Burchell)

A Philippines building shaped like a crab.

BALADE DES GNOMES
Durbuy, Belgium

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A hotel room shaped like a Trojan horse. 

TURTLE BUILDING
Niagara Falls, New York

article-image(photograph Steve Moskowitz)

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

FISHERIES DEPARTMENT
Hyderabad, India

article-image(photograph by Nagaraju raveender)

A fisheries department shaped like a fish.

GIANT KOALA
Dadswells Bridge, Australia

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(photograph by KnitSpirit)

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A tourist complex shaped like a koala.

ELEPHANT TOWER
Bangkok, Thailand

article-image(photograph by Jarcje/Wikimedia)

A skyscraper shaped like an elephant.

KISHI STATION
Kinokawa, Japan

article-image(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: 

article-image(via Wikimedia)

BLUE WHALE
Catoosa, Oklahoma

article-image(photograph by Doug Wertman)

A swimming hole structure shaped like a whale.

CABAZON DINOSAURS
Cabazon, California

article-image(photograph by Don Graham)

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

CROCODILE HOTEL
Jabiru, Australia

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A Holiday Inn shaped like a crocodile.

CONCH SHELL HOUSE
Isla Mujeres, Mexico

article-image(photograph by Theron LaBounty)

A house shaped like a conch shell.

NAUTILUS HOUSE
Mexico City, Mexico

article-image(photograph Mahfuz Ahmed)

A house shaped like a nautilus.

KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN
Marietta, Georgia

article-image(photograph Kevin Trotman)

A KFC shaped like a chicken.

BIG BULL
Wauchope, Australia

article-image(photograph by Peter Woodard)

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

L’HEMISFERIC
Valencia, Spain

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An oceanographic park shaped like a fish.

LONGHORN GRILL
Amado, Arizona

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A steakhouse shaped like a longhorn skull.