Google has made it really hard to find its 3D animals in Search [U]

For the past several years Google has been building out a ton of 3D models of animals and other objects that you can view in augmented reality but, recently, Google has all but removed the vast majority of these fun models from Search.

Update 5/1: Google, in a statement to 9to5Google, says that the missing models have not, in fact, been removed from Search. The company did not respond, however, to our question of why the missing models consistently cannot be found across our multiple tests.

None of the AR features referenced have been removed from Search. These features continue to surface on knowledge panels, which are dynamic and may automatically show other relevant results depending on the query.

Back in 2019, Google introduced the ability to see 3D animals directly in Search. Using the web, Android, or iOS, you could see these 3D models and even use augmented reality (AR) on mobile devices to see those models in the real world, often at life-size. The collection of objects expanded over the years, at its peak offering upwards of 100 different animals, many dinosaurs, and educational models of planets, locations, human anatomy, parts of the cell, and more. You could even preview a car using 3D models.

Google itself has never been good at cataloging these models, with a support page currently showing support for a handful of animals, cellular structures, and more. It’s a far cry from the list we’ve covered for the past few years now.

But, suddenly, many of Google’s 3D models have simply disappeared.

3D animals and objects in Google Search have been drastically reduced, it seems, to a list that’s even shorter than what Google’s own official support page claims is available. There are barely a dozen animals available, and less than 10 remaining dogs and cats. Beyond that, there’s just a handful of insects and objects.

In our testing, the list below represents 3D animals and objects still available in 2024.

Google 3D animals that still work in 2024

• Alpine goat
• Ball python
• Bumblebee (Moss Carder Bee)
• Cats:
  • Bengal Cat
  • Maine Coon
  • Norwegian Forest Cat
  • Ragdoll
  • Scottish Fold
  • Siamese Cat
• Dogs
  • French Bulldog
  • Pug
  • Shiba Inu
• Donkey
• Dragon
• Easter bunny
• Great White Shark
• Hamster
• Insects:
  • Stag Beetle
  • Brown Cicada
  • Ladybug
  • Rosailia Batesi
  • Swallowtail Butterfly
  • Morpho Butterfly
  • Hornet (Asian giant)
• Kookaburra
• Macaw
• Tiger
• Quokka
• Unicorn
• Locations, objects, etc
  • Chauvet cave
  • Taiko no Tatsujin
  • Pac-Man

Many of the various educational models of cells, body systems, and more are also still available, though body parts have been completely removed from Google’s collection of 3D models. Many are now shown as “interactive diagrams” in Search, though, rather than being referred to as 3D models.

These include:

• 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, and circulatory system
• Cellular structures: Mitochondrion, prokaryote, endoplasmic reticulum, bacterium, eukaryote, plant cell, rough endoplasmic reticulum, nucleolus, 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, and cisternae
• Chemistry: 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, and Quantum mechanical model
• Biology: Monocotyledon, Dicotyledon, Eukaryotic chromosome structure, Red blood cell, Monocyte, Neutrophil, Basophil, and Eosinophil
• Physics: Solenoid

Google has not explained why so many of its 3D models were removed, but it’s easy to speculate that the ever-changing landscape around Search is likely to blame. Still, it’s a shame to see that so many of these have been removed, given their utility in educational, as well as the simple fact that they were fun to play around with. They also played a huge role in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the easy-to-access models went viral during lockdowns.

Did you use Google’s 3D animals? Let us know in the comments below.

More on Google Search:

• Google can now convert text on a website into ads
• Report: Google might make SGE a paid feature, not working on ad-free Search
• Big Google Search update aims to show more genuine, ‘helpful’ content

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