| Big Critters |
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| REPTILES & SUCH | ||
| Iguana Toronto, ON |
Frog Bridge Willimantic, CT |
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The Iguana is installed on the roof of the Menagerie pet shop. He was dressed up for the Christmas holiday season when I was there. For more, see their website.
The Frog Bridge was built in 2000. It is also known as the Thread City Crossing. There are four bronze frogs perched on thread spools -- symbolic of the city's cotton mill past. The frogs are part of a local legend. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Frog Fountain Hot Springs, AR |
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| The Frog Fountain stands in front of the Central Park Fusion Cuisine restaurant. |
| Giant Frog Muncie, IN |
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| This Giant Frog stands in front of Dick Carnal's Ceramic Tile & Carpet. The incredible sign is a tile mosaic running the entire length of the store. The store, which opened around 1952, as Ceramic Tile & Marble became Carnal's Ceramic Tile & Carpet in 1969. The giant frog was installed in 1975. The store closed in 2005 and is up for sale. The cement frog will stay for now. For more, see this website. |
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More Giant Frogs:
Kermit the Frog (Hollywood, CA) Musical Frogs (West Bend, WI) |
| Swampy Christmas, FL |
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| Swampy was constructed in 1992 (another source says 1989). At 200' long, he is the largest alligator ever built. He stands in front of Jungle Adventures which has 20 acres of wild animal exhibits and shows. Swampy's mouth once acted as the entrance but it was converted to a ticket booth after a lawsuit brought by Gatorland of Orlando for its similar design to theirs. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Giant Gator Kissimmee, FL |
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The Kissimmee Gator is second to Swampy in terms of length at 126' long. This gator holds a Jeep in his mouth and stands in front of what was JungleLand (a wild animal park and alligator farm which closed in 2002). Next door to this guy is the Gator Motel.
The most famous alligator attraction in FL is Gatorland in Orlando. It has been around since 1949. |
| Alligator Park El Paso, TX |
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| Alligator Park, aka the Plaza de los Lagartos, is a tribute to the alligators that once lived in a pond in San Jacinto Plaza from 1883 until the 1960s. The fountain statues were created by Luis Jimenez and installed in 1992. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Waves Surf and Sport Surf City, NC |
Bargain Beachwear North Myrtle Beach, SC |
Alligator Three Lakes, WI |
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The Waves Surf and Sport and Bargain Beachwear feature gator and shark mouth entrances to their clothing/souvenir shops.
This Alligator is not all that giant-sized but I'll include him anyway. He lies in front of Bonack's Safari World Taxidermy. For more, see their website. |
| Rattlesnake Freer, TX |
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| The Freer Rattlesnake is about 7' tall and made of cement. It is installed in front of the Chamber of Commerce. Freer has held an annual Rattlesnake Roundup since the 1960s. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Rattlesnake Bridge Tucson, AZ |
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| The Rattlesnake Bridge, officially the Broadway Diamondback Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge, was built in 2002. The snake's eyes light up and its tail rattles when you exit. It is 11' tall and 280' long. Interior lighting allows the snake to be seen at night. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. |
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More Giant Snakes:
Rattlesnake (Gila Bend, AZ) Garter Snakes (Inwood, Manitoba; Canada) |
| Dragon Vandalia, IL |
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| The Vandalia Dragon is on Highway 40 (the National Road) in front of the True Value hardware store. It is 30' tall and 40' long and was installed here in 1999. The dragon was produced by the ESC construction company and breathes fire with the help of a propane tank. However, it wasn't working when I was there in 2006. His red eyes also light up. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Green Dragon Market Ephrata, PA |
Dragons? Las Vegas, NV |
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The Green Dragon Market features this giant dragon on top of their sign. Sorry about the blur of the second photo - the cars were pretty menacing. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
These two Dragons stand in front of the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino which was built in 1999. Are these statues meant to represent any particular animals or mythological beasts? For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
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More Giant Dragons:
Merritt Island, FL Saxton, KY Caryville, TN |
| Big Mo Cave City, KY |
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| Big Mo lies in front of Big Mike's Rock and Gift Shop. This "Mosasaur" is made of cement and was probably built in 1970 when the Mystery House was built. Big Mike's is a gift and souvenir shop. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
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More Giant Reptiles & Such:
Turtle: 1, 2 (St. Louis, MO) Turtle (Dunseith, ND) |
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Giant Animals Main Page |
Links |
