Did you know that you can find and interact with certain animals when you search for them via Google? With 3D search, Google allows you to search for an animal, object, or place, and to view and experience the 3D result, if available, in augmented reality (AR).
For instance, if you search for "zebra" on Google using your iPhone or Android phone, you can view the zebra in 3D and AR, in addition to the regular text, photo, and video results.
Whether you are a conservationist, biology teacher, parent, or just a wildlife or animal lover, there's so much you can do with Google 3D animals.
What is Google 3D Animals?
Google 3D animals combines 3D technology with augmented reality (AR) to help you experience content in a whole new way—one that is both experiential and immersive.
First, you can view the animals in 3D. Then the most interesting part—you can view and interact with them in your space using AR-enabled devices with ARCore. Google 3D was introduced in 2019 at the Google I/O event, is still in its infancy, and is constantly being updated.
Other Things You Can Find in Google 3D AR
It's not just land animals that you can find, view, and interact with when using Google 3D. You can also find, view, and experience insects in 3D and AR, as well as the following:
- Underwater and wetland animals
- Anime
- Birds, pets, and dinosaurs
- Human anatomical systems
- Cellular structures
- Chemistry, biology, and physics terms
- Cultural objects and heritage sites
- Cars
- Planets and moons
Which Devices Support Google 3D Animals?
Unfortunately, not all devices and browsers support Google 3D animals. It is only available on mobile devices, and browsers such as Chrome, Safari, and Opera. Computers are currently not supported, as well as browsers like Firefox and Edge.
Android
To view 3D results on Android, you need an Android phone with Android 7 and up. To interact with 3D results using AR, you need an Android phone that supports the ARCore framework as mentioned earlier.
iPhone and iPad
Google 3D and AR only work on iPhone. To view 3D results as well as interact with them in AR on your iPhone, you need the iPhone 6S or later, iOS 11 and up, and Safari or the Google app.
How to View Google 3D Animals on Android
It is pretty simple and straightforward to view Google 3D animals on your Android device.
- Go to Google Search or open the Google Assistant app.
- Type the name of an animal, e.g. zebra, and click search or press Enter.
- You should see the Meet a life-sized zebra up close section under the Wikipedia entry, containing an animated 3D zebra.
- Click on View in 3D to view the zebra in all its glory in 3D. You will hear it bark, bray, or snort above other background sounds from its natural habitat. Tap on the screen to move it around and view it from different angles in 360 degrees. (Bonus Tip: You can tap on MORE ANIMALS towards the bottom of your screen to view more animals). You can also tap on the share button to share with your friends or to social media, email, etc.
- This is the fun part. Tap on the View in your space button to view a life-sized image of the zebra in your room or space.
- Point your phone downward (as suggested by the on-screen prompt) and move it around to find the right spot.
- Once you find the ground, the animal will appear in the space. Tap to move the life-sized animal around in your space.
- You can also use pinch and zoom gestures to zoom in or out.
- Tap on the camera button to take a picture of your AR animal.
If you do not see the View in your space button, it means that your phone lacks the ARCore feature that supports AR view. Here's a list of supported devices. The list is constantly updated, so keep an eye out to know when your phone is added.
How to View Google 3D Animals on iPhone
You can view Google 3D animals on your iPhone as well. Here's how to get started.
- Open Safari and go to google.com, or use the Google app instead.
- Search for any animal on the list (find below), like zebra.
- On the result page, navigate to the View in 3D button. Tap on it.
- You should be able to view the result in 3D.
- To interact with the result in AR, tap AR and follow the screen prompts, or simply tap Object on your iPhone.
What Other Information About 3D Animals Are Shown?
Apart from the 3D animals, you can also view other vital information about the animal species such as speed, family, genus, kingdom, mass, gestation period, and length. You can see these details right on the search results page beneath the Meet a life-sized zebra up close section.
Other details such as predators, population, life cycle, and pregnancy can be viewed by clicking on the drop-down and following the link.
All these details make 3D animals a really useful educational tool.
The Full List of Google 3D Animals
You can find, view, and interact with different animals in the Google 3D animals list. Here are the animals you can find in Google 3D animals in alphabetical order.
- Alligator
- Angler fish
- Ball python
- Brown bear
- Cat (Black Cat, Persian Cat, Ragdoll, Shorthair Cat, Sphynx Cat, Kitten)
- Coyote
- Cheetah
- Deer
- Dinosaur (Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, Triceratops, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Pteranodon, Parasaurolophus)
- Dog (Beagle, Border Collie, Bulldog, Cane Corso, Chihuahua, Dachshund, Doberman, German Shepherd, Hot Dog, Pitbull, Pomeranian, Labrador Retriever, Pug, Rottweiler, Siberian Husky, Welsh Corgi)
- Donkey
- Duck
- Eagle
- Easter Bunny
- Emperor penguin
- Echidna
- Emu
- Fennec fox
- Giraffe
- Giant panda
- Goat
- Hamster
- Hedgehog
- Hippo
- Horse
- Kangaroo
- Koala
- Kookaburra
- Leopard
- Lion
- Macaw
- Milk cow
- Octopus
- Ox
- Pig
- Platypus
- Racoon
- Red panda
- Shark
- Tiger
- Turtle
- Quokka
- Wombat
- Wolf
- Zebra
If you type any of these names in Google search, you will be able to view them in 3D and AR. The list of Google 3D animals is constantly being updated.
Who Else Is Using Google 3D Animals?
There is no limit to what you can do with Google 3D animals. Like popular 3D games for kids, parents now use 3D animals, especially the tiger, to entertain their children.
You can use 3D animals to learn more about animals, including endangered species, and further, explore opportunities to work to save them from extinction.
In all, Google 3D and AR offer a glimpse of what's possible with 3D and augmented reality going forward.
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