10 graffiti murals that bring wildlife to the urban jungle

For those living busy lives in the city, the natural world can feel pretty far away. So perhaps it's a good thing that there's a slew of graffiti artists using their talents to bring some wildlife to the urban landscape.

Fuelled by passion and armed with spray paint, the artists featured below are transforming grimy city walls into vibrant works of art. From the lifelike to the surreal, their masterpieces also serve as reminders that increased human development continues to decimate wildlife habitats ... a point made poignant recently by graffiti artist ATM with his series of bird paintings sprawled across gritty London walls. The colourful artworks were painted near areas where species such as barn owls and snipes used to flourish. Now all that remains are these lifelike portraits sprayed on concrete walls.

This 'artful' form of vandalism might be considered a crime in some places, and it's certainly got both fans and foes, but we can't help thinking these cityscape artworks look a lot better than the crumbling walls they're painted on.

Chameleon graffiti, Liverpool, England. Image: Arthur John Picton

Urban wildlife, Alberta, Canada. Image: Ricky Leong

Wildlife on the Roof - ROA & Falko, Revolution House JHB, South Africa. Image: Derek Smith

Narwhal graffiti, Sheffield, England. Image: KylaBorg

Urban wildlife at the DUMBO Walls, official graffiti gallery, Brooklyn, United States. Image: Robert Francis

Hunger, California, USA. Image: Jeremy Brooks

African Wildlife on Barcelona's Walls, Spain. Image: David Lahoz

Whale graffiti in a parking lot in Texas, United States. Image: Marko Forsten

Zebra graffiti, Mumbai, India. Image: Kanishka Gangopadhyay

An coyote up-close (okay this one is actually a sticker, not paint, but it's still pretty awesome), Arizona, United States. Image: Tom Check