The explosion of sharing pictures on the internet and social media in particular has led to some amazing trends. Not only have people been able to capture and instantly show the world some of the most breathtaking sights from around the globe, the sheer volume of photos has also created some interesting optical illusions. Who could forget these viral photos:
- “The Dress,” a heated debate in 2015 over whether a dress was black and blue or white and gold.
- “The Legless Woman,” an optical illusion from late 2016 that showed a couch full of girls confusingly missing one pair of legs.
- “The Blurry Ham,” where people had their eyes checked in early 2017 when a pile of sliced ham looked out of focus.
Those are just some of the latest in a long standing tradition of internet optical illusions that have gone viral. The ideal internet optical illusion has not been Photoshopped in any way and should always cause the viewer to do a noticeable double take.
Among these tricks, there are some fantastic examples of mind-bending optics. Here are 24 illusions that might take you a second to figure out.
1. Do fish need flippers? This is like some sort of reverse mermaid. All the other fish have welcomed him into their school.
2. A freakish similarity to the Xenomorphs in Alien. The shadows are a dead giveaway, but it’s still shocking when you first see it.
3. A classic body-swap illusion. His head is so disproportionate to the size of his body, and her legs look great in board shorts.
4. It’s not illegal to marry a centaur right? Love is all that matters, no matter the species.
5. It’s like Sauron’s soapy stepbrother. The eye is watching you…while you finish up those dishes.
6. The question here is, is this guy even real? Quite a brilliant ad for a paint company where the billboard is cut so it matches with any light.
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8. Another classic, this woman seems like she’s levitating on the beach at first glance. Her posture and the microphone just give it that last little bit of wonder, before you realize what’s happening.
9. It almost looks as if this man is playing with a miniature version of the city, moving around cars like Hot Wheels. Instead, he’s just leaning out of the window.
10. Gross! A caterpillar. Wait, that’s just nine small birds clumped together. Nature can give us some amazing illusions because of the evolutionary adaptations in some animals.
12. That dog is going to be a star, with a body like that. She can do big things in the world of ballet.
13. In the inevitable showdown between man and insect, I hope we bring bigger helicopters. That ant looks unimpressed.
14. That is the most casual child wizard I’ve ever seen. He looks like he’s been pulled right out of the Harry Potter universe, and his tied jacket gives the impression of a robe of some sort.
16. Speaking of werewolves, apparently they can now travel among us. It’s an odd fashion sense for this intrepid canine.
17. He just likes to wear his pants backwards, what of it? You don’t want to fight a guy with a beard that long.
18. This looks like they’re just hopping through an inter-dimensional portal. This is one of the most striking images in the set.
20. Better than climbing a sheer face like this guy though. Pro-tip: When rock climbing, remove your wedding band. It’s not going to last long.
21. In this one, they must have taken the time to stick the bottle and cigarettes to the wall. Either that or those windows are actually escape hatches from an underground bunker.
22. This is how the hallway is seen when looking straight down through it, though the lines are painted in parts all along the hallway. I’m not sure what’s at the other end, but it’s clearly important.
24. This one is confusing because that head doesn’t look like it belongs on either body. Even if that girl is wearing the white shirt, why is her head so weirdly positioned?
