SCOTUS as Animal House

The Marble Palace Blog has The Supreme Court's Animal House -- From tortoises to dolphins, lions to owls, the Supreme Court building is sprinkled with animal sculptures. A curator's booklet tells what they mean.
From the curator’s booklet, here is a summary of the animal sculptures and their meaning and location:

• Tortoises represent the slow and steady pace of justice and are located at the bottom of bronze lampposts on the building grounds, as well as at the East Pediment.
• Hare, located in the East Pediment, lost the race to the slow but steady tortoise.
• Eagles symbolize the United States, a bird of freedom, or superiority and swiftness. It is seen in the spiral staircase bronze work on the ground floor.
• Two lion heads are on the court’s roofline and in the Great Hall as a symbol of majesty and strength.
• Dolphins found on the bronze flagpole bases on the front plaza are a maritime symbol of the sea and swiftness.
• Rams’ heads represent strength, and are found on the marble lampposts on the front plaza and marble urns on the rear plaza.
• Owl: A common symbol of wisdom, an owl is located on elevator and spiral staircase bronze door frames on the ground floor.