The world is full of bizarrely shaped boulders and other natural rock formations that humans see as familiar objects. The brain tends to perceive an animal-shape or, even more popular, a human face hiding in the rocks. They were chiseled with wind, water, erosion and other geological processes. Over the centuries, nature sculpted these natural rock formations to have a close resemblance to animals. Here are 23 bizarre yet amazing animal-shaped rock formations.
Polar Bear
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Sardinia, Italy, is known for animal-shaped rocks. The polar bear above is located in the La Maddalena Archipelago. This rocky polar bear is not too difficult to make out. But some rock formations require a person to tilt their head, squint one eye, and stand just so to see the animal.
Animals Seen in Rock Formations
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On Poike, near one of the extinct volcanoes that form Rapa Nui, a cat’s head stands out to catch the eye. But animal-shaped rocks are found on more places than Easter Island. In Oregon, a rock in the Willamette River seems to look like a serpent. Just past Hole in the Rock, at the stunningly gorgeous location of Moab, Utah, is this hillside rock formation that resembles a cat’s face. On the bottom right is an animal-shaped rock located in Matsushima Bay, Japan.
Camels
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Rocks that look like camels can be found in a multitude of places around the globe. The desert of New Mexico and Arizona have many like the two on top that people perceive as camels. On the bottom left is “Camel Rock” located in Cappadocia, Turkey. On the bottom right was the Camel in Garden of the Gods, Elizabethtown, Illinois. Sadly, vandals knocked the head off the camel and now it is only a headless hump.
Elephant Rocks
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It’s not just camels that are a popular animal-shaped rock but also elephants. The top left elephant can be found at Pt. Reyes National Seashore in California. Valley of Fire State Park, about 45 minutes east of Las Vegas, Nevada, has a famous elephant that many photographers have captured. The top right and bottom right is the same elephant taken from different angles and at different times. On the middle left is a rocky elephant face found in Queen Valley, Arizona. Elephant Rock, on the middle right, is located near Prince Edward Island, Canada. On the bottom left is an elephant that guards the Stone Forest of Shi Lin, China.
Mirage of Animals
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Arizona is full of breathtaking beauty and natural wonders. Such is the case in Monument Valley. The elephant is easy to discern and is located within the Navajo Tribal Park. On the bottom left is a crocodile in the Valley of Kings, Egypt. On the bottom right, this natural rock formation has dual lives. It is the Lion-Elephant Rock near Alisadr Cave. Alisadr cave is the biggest water cave in the world and is located in Hamedan, Iran.
Dogs to Penguins
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From far away, and some believe close up, the top left rock formation in Albany, Australia, looks like a dog. In Hundred Islands National Park, Philippines, “Turtle Rock Island” awaits. On the middle left is a natural rock formation at Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island. The Kangaroo part comes in because it’s in Australia, but it looks more like a beak and bird? Can you see the hippo yawning in that rock near Wave Rock, Australia? Lastly, there are pair of penguins snuggled up together near Peninnis Head on the Isles of Scilly.



