Drivers are being left stunned by this strange rock formation by the roadside in Italy – which looks exactly like an elephant.
The images of the unusual Elephant Rock in Castelsardo, Sardinia, Italy, taken at sunset by student Giulia Lupino.
She traveled along Highway 134 to photograph the rock, which she describes as ‘specific’ to her town due to its resemblance to the trunked animals.
The large mass of trachyte is believed to have been part of the Monte Casteddazzu rock complex before it broke away and rolled down the valley to its present location on the trunk road.
Erosion resulted in an irregular appearance being formed, with the perforated boulder bearing what looks like the shape of a trunk.
Lupino, 19, said: ‘This rock has the shape of an elephant thanks to the elements, which are its real sculptors.
‘When I first saw it, I thought it was just small because I was surprised when I finally stood up and realized it was about four meters tall.
‘It’s hard to believe seeing it from each side.’
The rock not only adds to the beauty of the area but is also of archaeological significance as it contains two ‘Domus de Janas’ – a type of chamber tomb found in Sardinia.
It is not the only natural formation that resembles a large creature.
On the island of Heimaey in southern Iceland, a basalt rock on an ocean cliff is oddly shaped like a giant elephant – complete with wrinkled skin – stretching its trunk into the sea.
Rising out of the water, the creature can be found on the largest island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, a collection of islands formed by volcanoes.
Although the giant elephant is one of the island’s most frequented attractions, today, tourists also flock to see the puffins during the summer months.
