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They say there is always more than meets the eye. So today, we are going to take you on an illusory roller coaster where things are not what they seem, or rather they seem to be not what they are… Unless you look twice, and thrice, and then everything seems fine.
Bored Panda has compiled a list full of mind-bending camouflages we encounter every day and don’t give much thought to. From a sizzling paella bowl that resembles a pool full of tiny humans to a piece of toothpaste that came out just like someone’s taken their nose off, these are some of the most amusing optical illusions.
Be prepared for your mind to play tricks on you, and don’t forget to check out our previous posts with incredible optical illusions here and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This Is The Top Of A Fence Post
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#2
The Armadillo Lizard Looks Like A Baby Dragon
#3
My Black Cat Looks Like My White Cat’s Shadow
Call me crazy, but today on my way to work, I saw a trash bag that looked just like a bird. I gave it a second glimpse, only to realize my eyes were deceiving me, and that it was, in fact, nothing more and nothing less than a plastic bag.
Chances are most of us happen to have optical illusions now and then. They distort reality in such a way that we see objects, shapes, or things that are not entirely there. Usually it doesn’t last long, but it doesn’t make it any less realistic.
Kim Ransley, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney, explains that “In day-to-day life, the ability to distinguish objects helps us work out what is around us when parts of the scene are covered or lighting is poor.”
However, when it comes to the visual patterns that appear in random things and places, and occur purely by chance, these “can also trigger the system, causing us to see familiar objects in very strange places—such as the appearance of a face in a cloud.”
#4
I Found A Pattern On Some Rocks In Sweden That Looks A Bit Like Starry Night By Van Gogh
#5
The Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma Disstria) That Looks Like It's Wearing A Penguin Sweater
#6
Frozen Spider Web Looks Like A Knitting
It turns out, this is all due to our ability to see, which involves the brain molding raw sensory data we get from the world around us into a more refined form. Kim explained that most of these refinements “are deliberate—they’re designed to help us survive.”
Other times, “certain patterns regularly trip our brains up” even if they have evolved to guess right most of the time. “That’s when we might see an optical illusion,” she concluded.
#7
This Is Moss Agate From Indonesia, The ''Moss'' Is Actually Iron And Other Mineral Inclusions In The Stone That Make It Look Like It Contains A Secret Forest
#8
These Trees With Christmas Lights Under The Snow Look Like Rocket Launch
#9
The Moon Looks Like Saturn
From afar you may wonder, “Is that an asteroid ring around the moon?”. Well, the disguise of this waning moon is actually a thin cirrostratus cloud. The way the cloud interacts with the moon creates a unique display of beauty that steals protagonism from the surrounding stars. Below the moon? The dimly lit silhouette of volcano Pacaya and the Guatemalan highlands can be appreciated.
Captured at dawn December 24, 2019
#10
Doggo Looking Like A Bear After The Bath
Dorothy Parker 4 years ago
That face. That expression. All that love just for you. Beautiful little bear pup.
#11
The Light Coming From The Bathroom Window Makes My Cat Look Like She Just Had A Great Idea
#12
I Took A Picture Of A Window With Rain On It And It Looks Like A Planet Surrounded By Millions Of Stars
#13
The Wings Of The Atlas Moth Look Like Snakes
#14
These Sunset Clouds Look Like Lava
#15
This Baby Bird Looks Like A Pinecone
#16
This Window That Looks Like A Painting
#17
Encountered A Hairless Guinea Pig That Looks Like A Baby Hippo
#18
The Pebbles On This Beach Look A Lot Like Eggs
#19
This Cat Looks Exactly Like A Bowl Of Flour
#20
The Snow On My Husband's Car Looks Like Cloth
#21
This Is A Puddle
#22
The Window Of This House I Rented Looks Like A Painting
#23
My New Petunia Looks Like A Galaxy
#24
This Is Jubilee. She Just Happens To Look Like Bad Taxidermy
#25
Every Year, My Next Door Neighbors House Looks Like A Can Of Arizona Green Tea
#26
The Way My Company’s Cooling System Becomes Giant LEGO Bricks In The Snow
#27
I Almost Died. I Found My Mom's New "USB Hub" Sitting On Her Desk
#28
This Oven Kinda Looks Like An Easter Island Head
#29
Morro Rock Looks Like A Pile Of Gold During Sunrise
#30
This Turtle's Shell Looks Like A Sombrero
#31
These Rice Fields Look Like Stained Glass From Above
#32
Baby Snapping Turtles Look Just Like Little Dinosaurs
#33
This Bush Looks Like I Just Won Solitaire
#34
The Inside Of These Acoustic Guitars Look Like Luxury Apartments
#35
You'll See It Once And Never Again
Dorothy Parker 4 years ago
They're right. Once you know what it really is the illusion is gone forever.
#36
This Building Looks Like A Single Wall Of Windows
Kerry Alderson 4 years ago (edited)
Here it is at another angle from Google Earth😆
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Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
Is the building paper thin or something. My brain is struggling to figure it out.
Dorothy Parker 4 years ago
No, but the side is mirrored and is reflecting the sky at an angle.
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Joe Monti 4 years ago (edited)
This is a good example of an OPTICAL ILLUSION...I drive for a living and I see reflections off my my rolled up windows . I could swear they were real.....At the top left of the windshield you will notice a DOT MATRIX SCREEN. It is this screen that is being reflected at the right side of the windshield. The building is an illusion because you can actually see the trees and the clouds behind it. This method of REFLECTION/REFRACTION was used in old classic movies to produce a ghost before computers arrived.
Mildred Thompson 4 years ago
Is that a building??? I don't think I would want to work in that - too skinny!
Caroline Driver 4 years ago
Get the right angle of the Hancock building in Boston and it looks a bit like this, a mirror standing up in the city.
Elizabeth Maas 4 years ago
When buildings are mirrored, many birds, especially migrating birds, will meet their deaths by flying into the building.
Grumble O'Pug 4 years ago
So sad because this kind of design is the cause of many deadly bird strikes. Terrible.
Amy Gannon 4 years ago
I’ve been looking for a few minutes & I still just see a wall of windows....so where’s the building?
#37
A Shot Of Burning Man That Looks Like A Solar System
#38
Tiny Weeds In My Garden Look Like A Desert Oasis
#39
This Small Red Potato Looks Like An Anatomical Heart
#40
My Purple Potatoes Look Like Gemstones
#41
The Shadow Of My Bookshelf Looks Like A City Skyline
#42
These Clouds By My House Look Like A UFO Invasion
#43
This Paella Looks Like A Bunch Of People In A Dirty Pool
#44
The Moss Growing In This Bus Stop Gutter Looks Like A Tiny Ancient Ruin On Top Of A Hill
#45
This Dead Plant Looks Like A Broomstick
#46
My Car Wash Foam Looks Like A Sparkling Sunset
#47
How The Ice Looks Like Scotch Tape On The Roof Of This Barn
#48
My Toothpaste Came Out Looking Like A Nose
#49
Fixing My Parent’s Computer This Morning. Turns Out The P Is For Potato Salad. Not What I First Thought
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What do you think ?
serato 4 years ago
I love this thread. I love it when people take a closer look at things and fantasy erupts :D
Kizzie 4 years ago
For the broomstick one: It's from a tulip tree... Liriodendron tulipifera. The flowers look like tulips. I have one near my home. GettyImage...d58fee.jpg 
slothy the slow 4 years ago
Those are some amazing illusions! https://www.boredpanda.com/?p=2510641 These holes on the ground look like a dog burry itself. Check it out.
serato 4 years ago
I love this thread. I love it when people take a closer look at things and fantasy erupts :D
Kizzie 4 years ago
For the broomstick one: It's from a tulip tree... Liriodendron tulipifera. The flowers look like tulips. I have one near my home. GettyImage...d58fee.jpg
slothy the slow 4 years ago
Those are some amazing illusions! https://www.boredpanda.com/?p=2510641 These holes on the ground look like a dog burry itself. Check it out.
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