The pelican test, animated · 13 October 2026

Can an AI make a pelican pedal?

The classic test asks a model for an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle. We made it harder: the pelican has to actually ride. Legs on the pedals, wheels turning, wings moving, in pure SVG with no JavaScript. Every model got the same prompt and one shot.

Animated

Scored out of 12 · click a pelican to open the raw SVG

The prompt 
Generate a single self-contained animated SVG (SMIL or CSS animation inside the SVG, no JavaScript) of a pelican riding a bicycle: the pelican actually pedals — its legs follow the rotating pedals and crank — the wheels spin, the bicycle moves forward or the ground scrolls, and its wings move (holding the handlebar or flapping). Output only the SVG.
  1. Animated SVG by Gemini 4 Argon (high): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #1

    Gemini 4 Argonhigh

    12/12

    gemini-4-argon-high · Antigravity CLI

    Torso bobs with every stroke, two-joint legs stay locked to the pedals, the sea and the boardwalk scroll past.

  2. Animated SVG by Gemini 4 Argon (low): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #2

    Gemini 4 Argonlow

    11.5/12

    gemini-4-argon-low · Antigravity CLI

    Two-segment legs track the pedals; the valves on the wheels make the spin easy to read.

  3. Animated SVG by Gemini 4 Argon (medium): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #2

    Gemini 4 Argonmedium

    11.5/12

    gemini-4-argon-medium · Antigravity CLI

    Same tier as low: the fence and the road dashes scroll by.

  4. Animated SVG by Muse Wonder Full (high): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #4

    Muse Wonder Fullhigh

    11/12

    muse-wonder-full-1.0 · Muse Code CLI

    Big, characterful torso; a red spoke marker makes the wheel spin obvious; thin legs.

  5. Animated SVG by Claude Opus 5.5 (high): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #5

    Claude Opus 5.5high

    10.5/12

    claude-opus-5-5 · Claude Code

    Legs follow the crank and the background scrolls, but the wheel spin is hard to see.

  6. Animated SVG by GPT-6.1 Sol (high): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #6

    GPT-6.1 Solhigh

    9.5/12

    gpt-6.1-sol · Codex CLI

    Clean and tidy, but the pelican is small and the wheels barely read.

The original, standing still

The classic prompt · scored out of 10

The prompt 
Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle.

Output only the SVG code (starting with <svg and ending with </svg>). No prose, no markdown fences, no tool use.
  1. SVG by Gemini 4 Argon (high): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #1

    Gemini 4 Argonhigh

    10/10

    gemini-4-argon-high · Antigravity CLI

    The best bicycle geometry of the set, in a sea-and-road scene.

  2. SVG by Gemini 4 Argon (low): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #1

    Gemini 4 Argonlow

    10/10

    gemini-4-argon-low · Antigravity CLI

    Big gradient pouch, cap, scarf and basket on a complete bicycle.

  3. SVG by Gemini 4 Argon (medium): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #3

    Gemini 4 Argonmedium

    9.5/10

    gemini-4-argon-medium · Antigravity CLI

    Strong overall, but one leg runs oddly along the down tube.

  4. SVG by Claude Opus 5.5 (high): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #4

    Claude Opus 5.5high

    9/10

    claude-opus-5-5 · Claude Code

    The most natural-looking pelican; its hips are hidden under the wing.

  5. SVG by GPT-6.1 Sol (high): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #4

    GPT-6.1 Solhigh

    9/10

    gpt-6.1-sol · Codex CLI

    Clean flat style; the small pouch makes it read a little like a stork.

  6. SVG by Muse Wonder Full (high): a pelican riding a bicycle
    Place #6

    Muse Wonder Fullhigh

    8/10

    muse-wonder-full-1.0 · Muse Code CLI

    The body floats above the frame, there is no saddle, and the bike is basic.

How it was scored

Animated, out of 12

Six criteria, 0 to 2 points each:

  • the legs stay attached to the pedals;
  • the wheels turn;
  • the bicycle moves forward or the ground scrolls;
  • the wings move or hold the handlebars;
  • the pelican and the bicycle are drawn well;
  • the motion is smooth.

Standing still, out of 10

Five criteria, 0 to 2 points each:

  • the bicycle is recognisable (wheels, frame, drivetrain);
  • the pelican is recognisable (beak and pouch);
  • it is plausibly riding (on the saddle, touching bars and pedals);
  • the SVG is valid and renders;
  • overall charm.

Read this before quoting the numbers

  • One sample per model, one rater. This is a fun, informal comparison, not a benchmark with statistical weight. Run the prompt yourself and you will get different pelicans.
  • The rater was Claude Opus 5.5, which is also a contestant. It scored shuffled letters without knowing which model drew which, and the names were revealed only after scoring. It placed its own pelican fifth.
  • The static pelicans had been seen with their names before they were re-scored blind.
  • Two scores rose by half a point after the reveal, both because the motion is in the SVG source but did not show in the frames the rater saw: Muse Wonder Full (wing sway) and Claude Opus 5.5 (wheel rotation).
  • Each model ran through its own command-line tool: Antigravity CLI, Muse Code CLI, Codex CLI and Claude Code. Gemini 4 Argon ran at all three reasoning levels; the others ran at high.
  • Nobody edited the drawings. Each SVG is the model's output with the surrounding text removed.
  • The animated prompt is ours and stricter than the original, because it asks for working motion.