Google Search sports a really neat augmented reality (AR) feature that lets users place animals, insects and objects in their space. It even sports some dinosaurs, which is really neat! The feature has been around for some time and we’ve sporadically covered new additions on MobileSyrup, but we thought now would be a good time to offer a round-up of all the AR animals available on Google.
Before we dig into the list below, there’s a few things worth noting. First, Google’s AR capabilities will work on most, but not all devices. If you’ve got an Android phone, you’ll need one that supports ARCore — there’s a full list of supported devices available here. The good news is that there are a ton that work with ARCore.
For Apple users, you’ll need an iPhone 6s or iPad 5th Generation and newer plus you’ll need to be running iOS 11 or later to access these AR features.
If you’ve got a compatible device, you’ll also need to use the right app. Google Chrome and the Google app will work on both iOS and Android. Safari works as well. I also tested Firefox and Edge, which both supported the feature. Although I wasn’t able to test every browser on iOS, since Apple mandates that web browsers on the iOS platform use the same WebKit engine as Safari, Google’s AR feature will likely work with almost every iOS browser app.
On Android, Google Chrome and the Google app will likely be your best bet. The feature also works in Microsoft Edge and likely will be compatible with most Chromium-based browsers. Firefox, however, doesn’t support the feature.
Once you’ve got a support device and a supported app or browser, you can use the AR animals feature by searching for any of the below creatures on Google. Then, look for the ‘View in 3D’ button and tap it to see the critter or object in AR.
Land animals
- Tiger
- Giant panda
- Leopard
- Goat
- Cheetah
- Pony
- Brown bear
- Timber wolf
- Shetland pony
- Python
- Arabian horse
- Raccoon
- Hedgehog
- Deer
- Wolf
- Lion
Underwater and wetland animals
- Mallard duck
- Alligator
- Great white shark
- Octopus
- Angler fish
- Sea turtle
Birds
- Macaw
- Emperor penguin
- Eagle
House pets
- Pomeranian
- Golden retriever
- Labrador
- Rottweiler
- French bulldog
- Pug
- Cat
Insects
- Atlas beetle
- Atlas moth
- Brown cicada
- Dragonfly
- Evening cicada
- Firefly (choose the insect, not the movie)
- Giant stag
- Grasshopper
- Hercules beetle
- Hornet
- Jewel beetle
- Ladybug (select the insect, not the movie)
- Mantis
- Miyama stag beetle
- Morpho butterfly
- Periodical cicada
- Robust cicada (search ‘Hyalessa maculaticollis’ if you don’t get the card)
- Rosalia batesi (at time of writing, card didn’t show up but was accessible through other insects)
- Rhinoceros beetle
- Shining ball scarab beetle (search ‘Leiodidae’ if you don’t get the card)
- Stag beetle
- Swallowtail butterfly
- Walker’s cicada (search ‘Meimuna opalifera’ if you don’t get the card)
Dinosaurs
- Tyrannosaurus rex
- Velociraptor
- Triceratops
- Spinosaurus
- Stegosaurus
- Brachiosaurus
- Ankylosaurus
- Dilophosaurus
- Pteranodon
- Parasaurolophus
Human anatomical systems
- Human digestive system
- Respiratory system
- Endocrine system
- Female reproductive system
- Nervous system
- Lymphatic system
- Male reproductive system
- Integumentary system
- Excretory system
- Peripheral nervous system
- Urinary system
- Skeletal system
- Muscular system
- Circulatory system
Cellular structures
- Mitochondrion
- Prokaryote
- Endoplasmic reticulum
- Bacterium
- Eukaryote
- Plant cell
- Rough endoplasmic reticulum
- Flagellum
- Cell membrane
- Animal cell
- Golgi apparatus
- Ribosomes
- Smooth endoplasmic reticulum
- Chromatin
- Nuclear membrane
- Fimbria
- Bacterial capsule
- Plasmids
- Central vacuole
- Cristae
- Plasma membrane
- Cell wall
- Cisternae
Chemistry terms
- Functional group
- Organic chemistry
- Methyl acetate
- Propanol
- Salicylic acid
- 1-Bromobutane
- Hydrocarbon
- Alkane
- Electrolyte
- Ionic bonding
- Covalent bond
- Chemical bond
- Metallic bonding
- Chemical compound
- Ethene
- Orbital hybridisation
- Quantum mechanical model
Biology terms
- Monocotyledon
- Dicotyledon
- Eukaryotic chromosome structure
- Red blood cell
- Monocyte
- Neutrophil
- Basophil
- Eosinophil
Physical terms
- Solenoid
Other
- Chauvet cave
- Neil Armstrong
- Apollo 11 command module
As Google adds to its AR Search items, we’ll expand on this list. You can also view Google’s list of AR items here, although some things are missing.
Update 09/26/2020 at 9:02am: Google has added several historical sites to AR Search, including Canada’s own Fort York. Check out the full list of sites below:
- Fort York National Historic Site
- Moai Statues of Ahu Ature Huki, Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
- Brandenburg Gate in Germany
- Maya pyramid of Chichén Itzá, Mexico
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