"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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European fallow deer in England
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Bowling Ball Beach in Mendocino County, California
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A snuggling ball of cute
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Monarch butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
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National Park Week
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Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
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World Elephant Day
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Chapel of St. Michel on Lake Serre-Ponçon, Hautes-Alpes, France
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Welcome to the Hoh
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Halemaumau Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
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Saffron in bloom
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Put your flippers in the air…
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Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
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International Sloth Day
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Easter Sunday
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White dunes, blue lagoons
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The Wave, Vejle, Denmark
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International Day of Peace
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Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
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Logan Creek Suspension Bridge, West Coast Trail, Canada
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Wychwood Forest, Oxfordshire, England
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Thorrablot: The Icelandic midwinter festival
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Surströmming Day
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Paris is photo-ready this week
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Happy International Zebra Day!
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Tolkien Reading Day
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You re feeling sleepy
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World Architecture Day
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Papa was a flightless bird
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World Meteorological Day
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

