"Goofy" might be a better descriptor, but these seabird statues lining an outer wall of an Ecuadorian cathedral are called "grotesques"—the architectural term for a statue ornamenting the side of a building. But hang on…don"t we call those "gargoyles"? Not exactly. Gargoyles are simply grotesques that boast a specific, practical feature: spouts that convey water from rain gutters away from the building.
A grotesque scene
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Nha Phu Bay, Nha Trang, Vietnam
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Installation art turns heads
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Falling for the Canadian Rockies
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Castelmezzano, Italy
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Black History Month
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What are these creatures?
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I see one!
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Beech trees and wild anemones, Jutland, Denmark
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Sunrise at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
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Sparkling ice diamonds on a black sandy beach
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A wheatear in Peak District National Park, England
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Paper lanterns on the longest night
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Milford Sound/Piopiotahi rainforest in New Zealand
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Anshun Bridge, Chengdu, China
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El Valle de la Luna, Chile
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Ravens
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Combating extinction with citizen science
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Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
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Sitka shines on Alaska Day
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Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
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The moai you know
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What, no escalator?
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The city of Osaka at night, Japan
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Gamboa Crater, Mars
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Infinity Day
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Smith Rock State Park, Oregon
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Frozen beauty
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Aloe in bloom
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Blue hour in Trondheim, Norway
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Overseas Highway, Florida Keys
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

