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. Let's take a look at how to set it up.

What Is Google 3D Animals?

Google 3D animals combines 3D technology with augmented reality to help you experience content in a whole new way—one that is both experiential and immersive.

cheetah in 3D in Google Animals
bear in 3d in google animals
shark in 3d in google animals

It does two things. 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. It makes Google 3D animals one of the best AR apps for Android.

There are many animals on offer, which we've listed below. You can view a tiger in 3D, a lion in 3D, farm animals, household pets, and even dinosaurs.

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 Brave. 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

You can get Google 3D and AR on iOS. 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

Google 3D animals
Google 3D animals zebra
Google 3D animals zebra

It is pretty simple and straightforward to view Google 3D animals on your Android device.

  1. Go to Google Search on your home screen or in your browser, or open the Google Assistant app.
  2. Type the name of an animal, e.g. zebra, and click search or press Enter.
  3. You should see the Meet a life-sized zebra up close section under the Wikipedia entry, containing an animated 3D zebra.
  4. Tap on View in 3D to view the zebra in all its glory in three dimensions. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Now 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.
    3D Animals View in your space
  7. Point your phone downward (as suggested by the on-screen prompt) and move it around to find the right spot.
  8. Once you find the ground, the animal will appear in the space. Tap to move the life-sized animal around in your space.
  9. You can also use pinch and zoom gestures to zoom in or out.
  10. Tap on the camera button to take a picture of your AR animal.

Sometimes a search term can bring up lots of non-animal-related results (searching "tiger" might produce results for Tiger Woods instead, for example). If this happens, just add the word "animal" to your search, like "tiger 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.

  1. Open Safari and go to google.com, or download and use the Google app instead.
  2. Search for any animal on the list (find below), like zebra.
  3. On the result page, navigate to the View in 3D button. Tap on it.
  4. You should be able to view the result in 3D.
  5. 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 Is 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 AR app for education.

The Full Google 3D Animals List

google 3d animals kangaroo
google 3d animals husky
google 3d animals dinsoaur

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.

View Lions, Tigers, and Bears in Google 3D Animals

3D animals are fun to play around with, and parents now use them—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 in the future.