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50 Times People Had No Clue What They Were Looking At And This Online Community Had To Explain It To Them
The internet is a wonderful place. Sure, it has a few rotten folks trying to spread their toxicity, but a big part of it is also made up of helpful and kind-hearted individuals who are more than willing to share their knowledge and expertise.
This is especially true in communities like 'What Is This?', where amateur and experienced sleuths come together to identify the things that people ask them to, no matter how small or big.
One of the most interesting aspects of this subreddit is the variety of mysteries that are posted. From bizarre objects found in the backyard to even stranger creatures spotted in the wild, it has a little bit of everything.
So continue scrolling to check out some of the most interesting cases that these folks have solved. I promise, you will definitely learn a thing or two.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A Seagull Dropped This Beside Me After I Gave It Some Bread
Answer: Some bird species (mostly crows) have been know to give gifts. You just got gifted an abalone shell from a seagull! How cool!
#2
Thrifted This T-Shirt And I Need Help Identifying What It Says Or Any Information About It
Answer: This is my old band’s t-shirt. My sister just sent me this link. We only made maybe(?) 2 orange shirts. Curious what thrift shop you found this in. We were based in Philly. Band broke up in 2010. I can confirm that it says Pariah which was the name of our band.
Interconnectivity is probably one of the main reasons why such a niche community can flourish. As smartphones and other internet-connected devices have become more widespread, 31% of U.S. adults now report that they go online "almost constantly."
Additionally, 85% of Americans say they go online on a daily basis. That figure includes the 31% who say they're online almost constantly, as well as 48% who say they go online several times a day and 6% who go online about once a day.
(Only about 8% go online several times a week or less often, while 7% of adults say they do not use the internet at all.)
#3
My Girlfriend Took Her Dog For A Walk And Came Across This. What Is It? England, UK
Answer: Dolphin spine
#4
Why Is There A Fingerprint On This Penny? It’s Embedded In And Is Worn Down Noticeably In That Area
Answer: Some people have particularly corrosive skin oils. I used to work in a machine shop, and we called those people, "rusters," and you never let them touch your tools. Rusters don't just rust steel, they also corrode brass, copper, bronze, aluminum, zink, etc. If a ruster used your parallels or square and you didn't clean and oil it right away, the rusted fingerprints etched into the steel would show up within a few hours. I'm guessing a ruster touched that penny at some point, after which is was left untouched for an extended period of time
Dillon Brown 1 year ago
Also blur book ink and tarnish paper. I'm a ruster and used to be an avid reader. Destroyed a lot of books despite my best attempts 😭
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James Wood 1 year ago
This led me down an amazing rabbit hole in which I have now learned that hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating unrelated to body temp or exertion, which is a common factor in all 'rusters') is being treated successfully by using electrical impulses which stop the sweating for weeks (or supposedly even months?) at a time, with devices that can be used in-home and cost less than $1k. Wow!!
Gardener of Weeden 1 year ago
Husband stopped (broke) analog watches, and his skin actually ate through his wedding ring.
Jing Yi Xu 1 year ago
"Rusters" sounds like a fantasy term for a super powered human...so cool it's a real life thing
Justin Jones 1 year ago
I am a ruster (never realized there was a term for it). Couldn't wear those old style western shirts with the metal buttons as they would start to corrode (any garment with metal on it will start to corrode over time). Same thing for anything metal I work with (except stainless steel). That and I can focus and stop my hiccups. Those are my super powers. Thanks Universe.....
Captain Kyra 1 year ago
In an Orson Scott Card book Lost and Found they would call it a micropower.
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Imperial Guard 1 year ago
Never knew that! It reminds me of a curse in a fantasy game... the curse of rusting metal by touch.
Twig the Cat 1 year ago
I believe one of my friends has a flute that used to be owned by one of these people; there’s marks on the flute where your fingers that you don’t use on keys rest, and I think on the thumb key. She mentioned something about the old owner having something like this when I asked
Kaniwani 1 year ago
I was thinking this as well. Would suck if you're a criminal.
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SmooshyFries 1 year ago
"Rusters" have to be careful when buying frames for glasses. No metal frames usually unless it was a nickel free metal or titanium if I remember right. The corrosion on the temples( arms) of the frame became sharp and very rough to touch. Smelled funny too
Rahim Carlock 1 year ago
Can corroborate, o blood type very acidic. I have to wear plastic glasses and they still corrode. Clothes don't last long either. Also keep my tools well oiled.
Pink Taco Eater 1 year ago
I do that all the time. I was not allowed to touch any of the mills or grinders on a Friday lol. Everything I touched had to be sprayed with anti-rust spray.
Ania Barrett 1 year ago
They would both annihilate. It's like matter touching antimatter.
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Sydnie Laney 1 year ago
Ok, so this is a superpower, soon to be mutated into something awesome
Debra Smith 1 year ago
Coffee finger print. Caused by the acid. In coffee. Thank you NASA metallurgy classes. And cheers
Sarah Marie 1 year ago
why arent more things rusted though? like, it cant just be a handful ((pun intended)) of people that got the oils
Deep One 1 year ago
I must be a ruster. I can't wear any metal other than gold. My skin eats it. I tried a titanium watch and within a month my skin was black and the back of the watch looked like the surface of the moon. Also the first metal rimmed glasses I got ate into my face and I had to paint them with clear fingernail polish!
Heather 1 year ago
Oh wow! OK, I know one of these people. Tarnished silver in days. Turns it very black and with enough wearing chains will break. Where he was known to lay up against a metal headboard the paint is gone and the metal is corroded. Strangely enough cats are enraptured by him. You can have three people sitting in a room and three cats and a fight will break in-between the cats as they all try to get in his lap. Seen that man turn the most guarded feral into a lap kitty in couple of hours. So weird.
Alex Travous 1 year ago
Rushers must be terrible convicts because you know they just leave their fingerprints noticeably everywhere.
Wayne Reynolds 1 year ago
Used as a guitar pick for a certain sound by a 'ruster'? I've used coins and other metallic objects to get a certain sound from the strings of some of my guitars.
The voice of reason 1 year ago
Run it through AFIS might be a criminals who has been unidentified for decades.
#5
Please Identify This Bird My Parents Saw In Their Backyard
Answer: Its a Golden Pheasant
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
I've only ever seen those at the zoo! Normally they have a long beautiful tail - maybe this one's a youngster?
But just because people can, doesn't mean they should simply flood the subreddit with all of the objects they can't identify.
The community would like everyone to:
- Post a clear, well-lit, in-focus, large-format image;
- Photograph small items from up close;
- Photograph large items from a proper distance enough to see them in full;
- Since the manufacturer's markings help them immensely (even if they look like gibberish to you), remember that you can typically locate them on the bottom, base, or underside of an object;
- Keep in mind that production tags, inserts, or attachments such as a labels or stamps also help them identify objects.
#6
Figurine Found Buried Under A Tree In Alberta
Answer: That definitely looks like indigenous First Nations art. I would take it to a local Historical Society or other agency to be looked at.
#7
Found This Spicy Guy While Hiking In Nc, Any Idea What Type Of Lizard He Is?
Answer: Red eft
Yali-girl with weird name 1 year ago (edited)
He looks like a little fireball :3 Edit: mommy I’m famous
#8
What Does This Mean ? I’m A So Confused English Is Not My First Language
Answer: It's a reference to a movie called Monty Python and the Holy Grail
"If you are looking for a certain item for sale visit r/helpmefind," the rules of 'What Is This?' suggest. "We only identify."
"If there's a medical issue that concerns you to the point of posting about it online, you could try asking in r/AskDocs, r/Health, r/medical, or r/AskVet. But you should be seeking professional help, not amateur speculation."
"Our intent is to identify objects & items, not conditions, diseases, infections, or the like," the moderators of the subreddit explained.
#9
I Know What It Is Not... They Are Pointy A Ribbed And They Have A Key Chain Ring On One End, Any Ideas?
Answer: It’s for self defense. Put it on your keychain
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Also good for knocking out the car window if you need to get out of your car very fast. Like it's slowly sinking into the river you just drove into.
#10
What Is This Flag? Red, White, Black Triangle Logo
Answer: It's from Star Trek, it's the Klingon flag
#11
Given By Neighbor Who Doesn’t Speak English And I Don’t Speak Chinese
Answer: This is called Zizania Latifolia Aka Manchurian wild rice. You can cut it into slices and stir-fry for a minute or so, then cook it with some soy sauce until the flavor goes in a bit. It has a nice unique texture, firmer than zucchini.
#12
Found By A Tree. Took Boy Home
Answer: It's a southern flying squirrel. About 2 weeks old. His eyes are still developing so dont try to open them. If you try to rehabilitate him, he will become very attached to you and requires a lot of attention and is also nocturnal.
For many, feeling unsure about the things right in front of them is at least a little bit frustrating. This feeling of uncertainty can lead to worry and distress because, more often than not, we humans tend to assume the worst. The not-knowing and living in anxious anticipation is simply hard for us, and we are almost programmed to hate it.
Interestingly, one study has revealed that our stress levels max out when uncertainty is the highest. The volunteers in this experiment were asked to play a game where they had to overturn rocks. If a snake appeared under one of them, they would get a painful electric shock. The results revealed that people would rather definitely get an electric shock now than know there's a possibility to get shocked later. Or in other words, uncertainty is more stressful than predictable negative outcomes.
#13
Saw These On The River Banks Of Brahmaputra, India. The Way They All Move Together Is So Weird. Any Idea What Creature Is This ?
Answer: It's a group of millipedes walking together. The ones on the bottom are also walking. Those on top walk over them and once they get to the end, they go to the bottom and cycle through it. They do this to cover more distance quicker.
Robert Trebor 1 year ago
Like when you walk forward on a train you are going faster than the train.
#14
Found This Lil F*cker In My Garden, He Doesn't Bite,he Even Lets Me Touch And Handle Him.what Could It Be?is It A Non Venomous Kind Of Snake Or Just A Legless Lizard?
Answer: it's a Slow-Worm. Legless lizard. it's a protected species.
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
If you look really closely, sometimes you can find some tiny little vestigial legs!
#15
Friend Found In Her Yard - Brisbane Australia
Answer: That look like a hand grenade. I would advise calling the authorities to make sure.
#16
I Know It Is A Turkey But I Have Never Seen One This Color. Western Nc
Answer: It's a genetic disorder .... Partial Albinoism
We are hardwired by evolution to focus on the unusual things in our surroundings and try to associate them with threats or safety. Something new in our environment may potentially be very good (something else to eat or an object that might prove useful to us in other ways) or very bad (a dangerous thing that we should avoid).
In either case, people who paid attention to new things did a lot better over time than people who ignored them, and we are the descendants of the people who were curious. So when you think about it, you could say that 'What Is This?' helps us progress.
#17
Given To Us By Asian Neighbor Who Grows Them At Home
Answer: It is a bottle gourd ... Trust me I am an Asian ... But I have never seen one that long
#18
Someone Put This On My Door Handle. I Understand It Is A Rubber Duck But Why Did They Put It On My Door Handle? What Is The Meaning? Any Significance?
Answer: It'ds called "duck duck jeep". Many times they'll have a tag on the duck saying so. I got my first one in a lowes parking lot a few weeks after my mother died and was in a major funk. Made me smile.
8hundredpounds:
Rubber ducks on jeeps is a thing among owners.
#19
What Are These Squiggly Brain-Like Shapes In The Water?
Answer: 3D printed "reef tiles."
#20
Came Home To Find This Device Attached To My Front Door Covering The Key Lock. What Is It And What Should I Do? Is It Safe To Open? Who Would Have Installed It?
Answer: We've removed the device. It's an anti lock device to pull out or detach locks so it was an attempted burglary. Thankfully they weren't able to enter. The police will attend in the morning
#21
Saw This On A Tree While Hiking Today. Not On Any Other Trees In The Area. What Is This?
Answer: It's a burl! Woodworkers pay lots of cash for these cuz the inside grain structure is cool.
#22
Found This In My Grandparents Kitchen. What Is This? I Can Only Think It’s An Ancient Male Torture Device
Answer: Egg shell cutter. For soft boiled eggs. A "Topper"
#23
What Kind Of Lizard Is This? It Refuses To Leave My Hand And I’m Not Sure How To Help It (I Live In Central Florida)
Answer: Caribbean House Gecko. Very common in Florida. They’re nocturnal, so if it’s out during the day then it’s probably stressed. Just put him somewhere dark and warm for now.
#24
My Dad Shows This Thing To Everyone Who Comes To The House To Try And Find Out What It Is, It’s Gone So Far That He’s Actually Built A Shelf Just For It. Help
Answer: That’s a coconut cutter/shredder. You sit on it and pound coconuts against it
#25
What Is This Thing That Showed Up In My Yard?
Answer: It's a stinkhorn. The tip smells like rotten meat to attach flies and spread the spores. It's hollow. Don't let your dog need it. My dog ate on. Took him to the vet. Dr. Said my dog was tripping off the mushroom. He was fine after a day of observation.
#26
This Was Found In A Pillowcase In A Stairwell Of The Hotel My Boyfriend Works At
Answer: For making counterfeit credit cards.
#27
Found In Hotel Room
Answer: Morse code. "PLEASED TO MEET YOU HOPE YOU GUESS MY NAME" [repeated 4 times]
Ervin Conn 1 year ago
Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a man of wealth and taste I've been around for a long, long years Stole million man's soul an faith
#28
A Strange Creature In South Wales, UK
Answer: elephant hawk moth caterpillar
#29
Help! Was Given A Present And Didn’t Want To Ask What It Was!
Answer: It's a bookmark
#30
This Came Out Of My Apple Juice Bottle This Morning During Break At Work ??
Answer: It’s a SCOBY. A Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeasts. It’s not harmful but will make your juice taste sour. SCOBYs are used to make Kombucha. They feed off sugar, natural or otherwise. In this case the sugar in the juice. They excrete lactic and acetic acid, which have a sour taste
#31
My Muslim Neighbors Surprised Me & Brought Me This Food. Has Rice, Some Kind Of Milk, Walnuts On Top, & I Can Taste Lemongrass
Answer: It's called Kheer. Normally eaten warm, but personally, I prefer it cold.
Mohsie Supposie 1 year ago
Kheer = Rice Pudding. Garnished with whatever you want to garnish it with. In this case walnuts.
#32
Cleaning Out My Grandma’s House To Sell And Found This. What The Heck Is It?
Answer: It's a flour duster. You use it to sprinkle flour across your work surface. You can use it to dust powdered sugar over cookies & what-not, too
#33
This Is Growing In My Crawlspace.... Sos
Answer: Orange bleeding tooth fungus
#34
What Is This Border Between The Pacific And Philippine Sea? Why Is It Not Just A Straight Line?
Answer: It's an international date line. It looks like this because it makes an exception around the Line Islands. The Line Islands have about 8,000-ish people on them, and this way, they're on the same 'day' as Kiribati, the nation they are part of. Due to time zones, it's the same 'Time' in the Line islands as Hawaii, but in the Line Islands, it's the next day.
#35
Why Did They Do This To These Trees?
Answer: Its because they sprayed the trees with an insecticide that was intended to kill aphids, which were dropping a sap onto cars parked underneath the trees. It unintentionally killed thousands of bees so they wrapped a netting over the trees to prevent more from landing in and on the trees.
Lyyyy 1 year ago
This must be a linden tree(tilia) or similar, they attract both aphids and bees, and you shouldn’t put them in parking lots because aphids poo your car full of this sticky stuff. Aphids don’t usually seriously damage these types of trees, so spraying them does more harm than good overall. Now, I can’t remember what specific species of trees I’m talking about here, but they are dioecious, meaning they have female and male trees. In the beginning landscapers and designers used both male and female trees. Then, they started to clone and use only male trees, so the trees would not bear (inedible) fruit, like berries that would drop onto cars making them dirty and onto roads making them slippery. Now 100% of the type of trees sold and used are male, almost all those landscaping trees you see in cities are male, which means all trees spread pollen to which many people are allergic to. If they would have used only female trees, we wouldn’t have pollen OR (inedible) fruits.
#36
What Animal Is This?
Answer: Shrew
#37
What Is This Oddly Terrifying Creature?
Answer: Sand dollar.
A sand dollar is a kind of echinoderm. This is the same animal phylum as starfish. The moving bits on the bottom are the tube-feet, similar to those of a starfish.
#38
4 Legged Fish - Freshwater Arid West/US
Answer: It’s a Western Tiger Salamander!
#39
What Is This Thing On My Airbnb Oven?
Answer: It’s for adding water in case you want to steam your food in addition to normal baking
#40
What Is This? It Flashes Every Time An Ambulance Speeds By. They Are All Over My City
Answer: It picks up a strobe light on emergency vehicles and then will flash to let them know that their light is green and all other directions are red. E: to clarify the strobe is IR and at a specific frequency and flashing the high beams won’t work. If you are caught with an MIRT you are likely to face very serious (felony) consequences.
#41
Assuming This Is A Fungus Of Some Sort, Spotted On Top Of A Dead Log In Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Answer: Slime mold - stemonitis axifera
#42
An Animal Found On The Beach In Normandy, France
Answer: Portuguese Man O' War
dot dot dot. 1 year ago (edited)
these are called blue bottles to aussies. edit. they are super painful, need a decent amount of nuerofen, and warm water and ice to calm the sting, they leave massive welts. in the summer in australia they cover the shores
#43
This Was Given To Me As A Gift
Answer: You twist it a certain way and it makes a hook to hang your handbag from a tabletop
Himory TheDreamer 1 year ago
Oooh! So that's what it is. I have one as well that I forgot what it was.
#44
It Looks Like A Tool To Create Art... Or Maybe It Is Art... I'm Not Sure
Answer: Indian batik or textile stamp
Chris D'Asta 1 year ago
Are you sure this is not another Lemarchand Box? Clive? You there, buddy?
#45
I’ve Seen These In Several Old Peoples Houses. What The Heck Are They And What Are They For?
Answer: It says ‘Jesus’ in the lines between the wood pieces.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Sort of like, according to legend, the Jesus fish was a way for christians to identify each other. A lot of evangelicals are really into hidden messages.
#46
What Is This Weird License Plate, And What Does It Mean? I’ve Never Seen This Before
Answer: I suspect you have found a Sovereign Citizen in the wild. The references to a trust and to common law suggest something of the sort
#47
In The Bathroom. When I Push A Button With A Time On It, My Nearby Toilet Makes A Wooshing Sound
Answer: It’s not your toilet, it’s your bathtub. And it’s causing a S**T TON of damage to it every time you tun it on without water in it. It turns on the jets for that amount of time
JoJo Anisko 1 year ago
You'd think they'd put a sign near it, to prevent said damage or at least mitigate it.
#48
Found This In My Wallet. I Believe I Was Given The $10 Bill As Change. It Was Glued To The $20 Bill At Both Ends
Answer: It’s a magic prop for a trick in which one bill is turned into another
#49
Prehistoric Parasite Attempting To Escape From Its Host As It Is Drowning In Amber
Answer: It's a fungus Ophiocordyceps, probably an earlier ancestor.
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What do you think ?
Me 1 year ago
Apparently we liked the gadgets more than the creepy nature things.
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DonnerDinnerParty 1 year ago
This was such a fun and interesting article! I didn't want it to end
Jilltdcatlady 1 year ago
I have sooooo many tabs open right now. I'll be in rabbit holes for days. Thanks BP.
Dillon Brown 1 year ago
Well I thought it was funny, lol. I tried three times 😂
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Honey Badger13 1 year ago
Ok sorry bout that, anyway I informed him in these exact words I don't think so. I'm sure Jerry would have been proud of me. Then today had to go for yet more gas and a female said what are these.?? WTF what are teachers teaching our children these days I learned how to count coins in the first grade.
Honey Badger13 1 year ago
Due to high gas prices I had to reach into my little savings and pull out some gold dollar coins. I handed them to the clerk so I could get my gas and he looked at me quizzically and said I'm going to have to make a call about these. In my best Seinfeld-esque
Me 1 year ago
Apparently we liked the gadgets more than the creepy nature things.
Load More Replies... DonnerDinnerParty 1 year ago
This was such a fun and interesting article! I didn't want it to end
Jilltdcatlady 1 year ago
I have sooooo many tabs open right now. I'll be in rabbit holes for days. Thanks BP.
Dillon Brown 1 year ago
Well I thought it was funny, lol. I tried three times 😂
Load More Replies... Honey Badger13 1 year ago
Ok sorry bout that, anyway I informed him in these exact words I don't think so. I'm sure Jerry would have been proud of me. Then today had to go for yet more gas and a female said what are these.?? WTF what are teachers teaching our children these days I learned how to count coins in the first grade.
Honey Badger13 1 year ago
Due to high gas prices I had to reach into my little savings and pull out some gold dollar coins. I handed them to the clerk so I could get my gas and he looked at me quizzically and said I'm going to have to make a call about these. In my best Seinfeld-esque
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