The Weirdest Outdoor DIY: Wood and PVC "Animals" That Actually Walk

As one commenter says, "there's something both horrifying and beautiful about these things."

Engineer-turned-artist Theo Jansen has been building these wind-powered DIY "animals" that can actually walk across land since 1990. Watch the video to see these things go! (You can also check out the gallery below for a closer look).

For those who are curious, one of these things is called a Strandbeest. According to Jansen:

Over time, these skeletons have become increasingly better at surviving the elements such as storms and water, and eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.

Wait, live their own lives? Yeah, that made us do a double take, too. Though it probably won't replace your dog, you can have a Strandbeest of your very own to put together for about $13 on Amazon...

The "rhinoceros" version below is also on Amazon for $35.

If you're like us, if you really want to assemble one of these, you'll grab some plywood and PVC and make your own.

Here's one more look at how the real things are built:

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Although these are cool, we're thinking the Strandbeest will probably not make it onto our list of favorite animals (unless it becomes significantly more edible).

So, what do you think? Amazing inventions? Frightening? Useless waste of engineering skills?

Readers, if you ever create a DIY animal out of PVC or anything else, send a photo or video our way. We'll be sure to share it!

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