40+ Eye Traps That Only Detectives Can Solve

While certain optical illusions have gone viral and perplexed the internet, others can only be discovered when you step outside. We’ve collected some of the coolest real-life optical illusions that only detectives would be able to solve.

Jacob’s Well in Texas appears to be hundreds of feet deep. Jacob’s Well is a perennial karstic spring located northwest of Wimberley, Texas, that flows from the bed of Cypress Creek. Although the well is only twenty-five feet deep, it appears to be thousands of feet deep due to an optical illusion.

This optical illusion appears to be a portal to another realm at first glimpse. The sight of water cascading down in the midst of a lake has captivated many. It’s a vision that defies explanation. At Lake Berryessa, this is known as “The Glory Hole”.

The hole is officially known as the Morning Glory Spillway, as it is a one-of-a-kind spillway for the lake and Monticello Dam. Water begins to seep down the hole and into Putah Creek, hundreds of feet below, when water levels increase above 440 feet.

A hotel in Germany utilizes a carpet with a pattern that gives the illusion of a three-dimensional surface, preventing guests from racing down the hallway.

Although the floor is perfectly flat, the wavy design of the carpet gives the impression that it is bulging in and out, making you extra cautious not to trip while walking down one of the hotel’s halls. If you think about it, this is a very clever idea to maintain peace in the hallways.

Take a look at this image. What do you see? If you think you are looking at a miniature, yet extremely lifelike statue of a singer, then you are totally wrong. The man you see in this picture is very much real and alive.

So does that mean he is a visitor from the far, far land of Lilliput? No, absolutely not. What exactly is going on in this picture you might wonder. Well, the man is actually standing on a stage quite far behind the display rack.

Is this mountain being eroded by lava? Actually, it is just a sunset-illuminated waterfall, and nothing more than that. Horsetail Fall located in Yosemite National Park appears as if it was on fire during certain times of the year.

The evening sun catches Horsetail Fall at a specific angle every year during the second week of February, illuminating the waterfall at the top. The illuminated water glows vivid orange and crimson as though it is on fire when the waterfall is flowing, and the meteorological circumstances are exactly right.

The picture above was taken in the High Tatra Mountains located in Slovakia. This colossal shadowy figure is an optical phenomenon that occurs in nature. When the shadow of a spectator is projected onto the surface of clouds or heavy mist, the phenomenon is termed a Brocken Spectre.

The head at the magnified form is frequently encircled by rainbow-colored rings. This happens because of another optical phenomenon known as a glory. This is generated when sunlight strikes microscopic water droplets hovering within the atmosphere and is scattered back toward the observer.

The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the largest salt flat in the world. Salar de Uyuni is regarded as one of South America’s, if not the world’s, most severe and extraordinary landscapes. When it is covered in a thin coating of water, either from rain or surrounding overflowing lakes, it becomes a vast reflecting surface.

The salt flat stretches for miles and is totally level. Salar de Uyuni also seems to have an unending horizon. This allows photographers to manipulate depth and perspective to create the most stunning illusions.

This sky may resemble ocean waves, but it is actually a unique type of cloud. Here is a fun fact, the Undulatus Asperatus is the first newly discovered cloud formation in 60 years. Undulatus Asperatus clouds are also known as agitated or turbulent clouds.

The term derives from the Latin words “undulatus,” which means wavy, and “asperatus,” which means agitated or roughed. They usually form when rising air generates a large cloud cover. When combined with winds and turbulence, the cloud appears to be undulating, similar to ocean waves.

If you looked up and saw a white saucer-like figure in the sky, you might mistake it for a UFO. When actually, these are just stationary clouds called Lenticular clouds. When steady moist air travels over a mountain or a series of mountains, lens-shaped clouds emerge.

When the temperature at the crest of the wave dips below the dew point, these clouds form on the mountain range’s downwind side. The cloud may melt again into vapor as the wet air flows back down towards the wave’s lowest part.

Nature never ceases to amaze us with its colors and designs. A prominent example of this can be found in the shape of a rare orchid known as Dracula. This flower features a face in the middle of the blossom.

If you take a look you will notice that this flower looks like a face – complete with eyes, mouth, nose, and even hair. Most people think the blossom resembles a monkey’s face. The strange-looking flower is known as a Dracula orchid, and the “eyes” are actually simply short petals.

Daniel Hoerr observed something fascinating outside his plane window while flying over Colorado farmland on his route to Denver, so he took a picture. He shared the photo on Reddit, and it has since gone popular due to the fact that the normally flat countryside appeared to be three-dimensional, producing a real-life optical illusion.

Many people are baffled as to how the area appeared to be an impressive urban city in the bizarre photo. According to the Colorado Climate Center, the way snow fell in that location was the cause for this optical illusion.

Have you ever noticed that objects in the distance can appear to float over the horizon at sea? This happens due to a naturally occurring phenomenon called Fata Morgana. It is a complicated, fast-shifting type of mirage, which occurs when rays of light bend.

Fata Morganas are made up of multiple inverted and upright images layered on top of each other. Hence, they appear as twisted, often unrecognizable formations that float beyond the horizon.

When incredibly hot chemicals erupted through the ocean floor and raced through the icy cold Pacific waters, it formed the Big Pagoda. The consequence was massive formations that resemble upside-down volcanoes, but actually aided in the growth of life in the ocean’s deepest depths.

While the structures themselves seem unearthly, scientists were drawn to the surface because it resembled a large mirror with water seething against it. The mirrored appearance, it turns out, is caused by cold water and hot substances combining and refracting the light at the ocean bottom.

The reflection of this stunning 19th-century bridge creates what looks to be a perfect circle. The Rakotzbrücke, a finely arched bridge situated among the lush greenery in Germany’s Kromlauer Park, was intentionally created to create a circle when reflected in the waterways beneath it.

When the waters are calm, and the light appears just right, the reflection creates a perfect circle. Locals have dubbed it “the Devil’s Bridge” since such bridges were supposed to be built by Satan because they were so perilous or miraculous.

Deadvlei is a claypan populated with many camel thorn trees that haven’t decomposed due to the dry temperature of the area. The desolate terrain, which was previously flooded by the neighboring Tsauchab River, is currently a popular photography location, with many photographers capturing the contrast between sun-scorched trees and the bleached-white clay ground.

Photos like the one here are usually taken from a low angle. This gives the sand dunes in the distance, which have been colored orange by the sun, the appearance of a painted background.

Arizona’s The Wave is a sandstone rock feature on the state’s northern border with Utah. Hikers and photographers are familiar with the formation because of its vibrant colors and undulating shapes, as well as the tough climb required to reach it.

The depth perception is thrown off by the wavy patterns in this rock formation. Due to the delicate nature of the formation, and the vast number of visitors who want to visit, only ten permits are given out in person at the Kanab visitor center on a daily basis.

Light bends when it passes through warmer, less dense air, resulting in desert mirages. Because they occur below the horizon in the desert, refraction-caused illusions are known as inferior mirages. As a result, poorer desert mirages frequently appear on the ground as water-like illusions.

The air is hottest near the ground in the desert, and it cools as it rises. As light bends, the eye sees sky-like or water-like colors below the horizon . This phenomenon also causes fictitious desert oases.

Just like the Fata Montana and Broken Spectre mentioned above, flooded roads on heated highway pavements are another fairly common illusion. On a very sunny day, the road may appear wet or puddled in the distance. On even hotter days, the roads may even look to be flooded.

This phenomenon is another example of a lesser mirage. Roads, like sand in the desert, retain heat and warm the air directly above them. Your brain, therefore, misinterprets this sky illusion as water on the ground that is actually just reflecting light.

The markings on the upper corner of the Atlas moths’ wings, which resemble cobra heads, are possibly their most famous feature. The Atlas moth will often be resting with its wings closed on a tree trunk. Sometimes a hungry bird will approach, creeping closer until it is within striking reach.

The moth’s wings open just as it is about to pounce. All of a sudden instead of a moth, the bird notices two snakeheads. The scared bird flies away, and the moth lives another day.

There are occasions when animals’ camouflage skills are so advanced that they appear to be invisible to the naked eye. It’s as though locating them requires the use of a specific technology. Similar coloring or texture can make distinguishing certain items or animals practically impossible.

However, for those with a keen eye, none of these items are difficult to locate. Take this image for example, the blond-haired adorable dog fell asleep on the completely identical-looking throw blanket.

Visual deception lies at the heart of optical illusions.Through the retina, our eyes send impulses to our brains. These impulses are then registered to generate the image we perceive.

The image that the brain perceives differs from reality. All it takes is a strange angle, or an uncommon perspective, to fool our eyes into thinking we’re seeing something that isn’t there. This guy appears to be wearing high heels simply based on the chair leg and his posture.

It is sometimes necessary to do a double-take to fully comprehend what is going on. Optical illusions occur when our eyes and brain mistakingly perceive something to be a certain way, even though it is completely different in reality.

This is what is happening in this image. If you think the van you are looking at is part of an ad campaign, you are wrong. It is just a plain white van that has been parked behind the metal fence with the poster on it.

At first glance, it may look like an ordinary image of a white cup made of ceramic that is upside down. However, what you are actually looking at is a completely transparent cup that is filled to the brim with milk.

Not only that, but the cup is also definitely not upside down. While this is a very cool optical illusion, this is a mishap waiting to happen. Just imagine an unsuspecting person who has just walked into the room picking up the cup and spilling milk everywhere.

Cats are able to sleep in a variety of places. They can be resting on top of the fridge one minute, and then completely passed out in a cardboard box the next. If you own a pet cat, you might come across them sleeping with their eyes half-closed or maybe in a curled up fetal position.

This cat owner, however, managed to take a picture of their cat sleeping in a very interesting position. Their cat appeared to be standing up as he fell asleep.

What’s so great about optical illusions is that what we see is almost never the full picture. It is possible that things are not always as they appear. To put it another way, our eyes can deceive us. If you think you are looking at a saucepan made of transparent glass, you are absolutely wrong.

Look again. What you see in front of you is actually an extremely shiny metal pan which is reflecting the surface of the burner, making it appear transparent.

Do you ever see something on the road that looks completely ordinary at first, yet so unexplainably bizarre? This truck looks like the driver forgot to correctly close the back, and the contents of the truck look ready to spill out into traffic.

You might be running late, yet you are forced to do a double-take. You see the back of a truck with its door open until you realize that the truck is just painted to look that way. Seeing isn’t always believing.

Visual or optical illusions demonstrate how our minds can create assumptions about the world – what we think we see is not always what we see. Shadows can vastly change the appearance of an object. A shadow can make a person appear as if they are floating.

They can make you think the pile of clothing on your chair is actually an intruder inside your room. The shadow cast by the stalk on this plant gives the impression that it is facing the wrong way.

If you think you are looking at a road illuminated by the rays of the sun, then you will soon realize that what you are seeing is in fact an eye trap. The sand scattered on this new bike path gives the impression that the sun is shining.

This is a great example of an eye trap occurring naturally. Unfortunately for most people using this lane to travel, sand on the bike lane is extremely hazardous as it might cause the bike to slip and crash.

The last thing most parents want to see is a strange animal in their child’s bed. These parents must have gotten the shock of a lifetime when they pulled back the covers on their daughter’s bed only to find what looks like a wild animal.

Luckily, there was no need to call the local zoo to report a missing lion. The strange animal in the child’s bed is really just an optical illusion created by a little girl hugging her favorite toy.

Every peacock has its own unique appearance, with various color patterns and “eyespots” strewn across its plumage. When a male courts a female, he stretches out his tail feathers to show her all of his colors and eyespots.

The male peacock’s tail, known as a train, can fan out to create a beautiful display that he uses to communicate.  In this picture, however, we can see standing in front of an aloe plant is a peacock without his tail feathers fanned out.

Most people are familiar with the Duracell battery brand. These batteries have a very unique and distinct appearance. Imagine this man’s shock when he looks at his wife’s vanity bag, and realizes she has a battery inside.

Imagine how shocked he would be when his wife would reach inside the bag, grab the said battery, open it and start applying her eye makeup? Well, just to make it clear, the said battery is just an eyeliner.

A Reddit user posted a picture of his backyard wall and said the white back wall of his courtyard garden looks like the ocean. Naturally, this optical illusion is causing quite the conflict between internet users. On one hand, there are the people who do not see the ocean.

To them, this is just a photo of a bird feeder in front of a white wall where the sun is casting a shadow. On the other hand, people can totally see a picturesque image of a sunset above  the ocean.

A glacier is a massive ice mass that travels slowly across land. Glaciers are commonly referred to as ice rivers. Glaciers form in areas where more snow accumulates each year than melts. The snow begins to compress, or become heavier and closely packed, soon after it falls.

It transforms from light and fluffy crystals to hard and round ice pellets over time. While this beautiful photograph may look like it was taken in front of the glaciers, it is actually a photograph of someone’s windscreen which has frozen over.

No, this floating car does not belong to Aladdin, nor does it belong to the Weasley family from Harry Potter. There is a very simple explanation as to why this car looks as if it is floating, and that is shadows.

As we have already discussed, shadows can cause optical illusions called mirages. This is an example of a superior mirage. When the air below the line of sight is colder than the air above it, the result is a better mirage.

This person is not lounging on their couch with a raw chicken sitting on their back. It is actually just a picture of a Sphynx cat. The Sphynx cat, or simply Sphynx, is a feline breed that is distinguished by its lack of fur.

The Sphynx breed was created in the 1960s through selective breeding of cats with hairlessness, which is a naturally occurring genetic abnormality. They are also one of the most expensive breeds of cats.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, located in north London, is the new home of Premier League soccer team Tottenham Hotspur. It is the largest club stadium in London, and the third-largest soccer stadium in England.

It is a multi-purpose stadium with the world’s first retractable soccer pitch that reveals a synthetic grass field underneath for NFL London Games, concerts, and other events. While that is all very interesting, nothing beats the fact that this stadium looks like a UFO from a distance.

There are some optical illusions that look almost too realistic. If you were to look at the image on the left, you would definitely agree that there was a cat inside of a cardboard box. Looking at the image to the left, however, you would see that the box is clearly empty.

Bizarre, right? In this image, the cat exists both inside and outside the box at the same time, making it seem like it exists in two different states at once.

Do these legs appear to be greasy to you? It is actually just white paint streaks. With the image reduced, it is a little easier to see what is really going on. The streaks of white paint appear to be reflecting light off of the legs in this image.

They are, in fact, dry. The effect was absolutely unintended, according to Culverhouse who had originally posted this photo. They took the photo after doing some art class homework, they had no idea this would go viral.

On Reddit in 2015, there was a heated discussion about whether the girl in this photo was underwater or not. She appears to be underwater already because she appears to be in filtered light and air bubbles appear to be floating up.

She does, however, appear to be about to plunge into the ocean. Yet she isn’t submerged in any way. Her hair is dry and her ponytail isn’t swaying in the water, as it would be if she were submerged. Those air bubbles are nothing more than droplets.

We’ve all had those moments where we put down our cellphone for a second and then misplaced it. The sheer panic that every person feels at that moment is universal. For most people in today’s world, losing their phone is the ultimate nightmare.

Speaking of which, can you spot the phone that is hidden in this image? This photograph was first shared on Facebook in 2016, and hundreds of people have since seen it. The phone was a fantastic match for this patterned carpeting thanks to its floral casing.

This photograph appears to show a man reaching over and embracing a woman seated at her desk at first sight. The man in the shot appears to be dressed in a light blue shirt, white pants, and black shoes. The woman appears to be dressed in a magenta-colored plaid shirt.

You’ll start to wonder whose legs you’re truly seeing if you look at the shot again. On closer examination, it appeared that the woman in the shot is the one wearing heels, while the man is actually seated.

This person’s tattoo gives the impression that he has a massive hole in his arm. It appears to be an endless whirlpool. After being posted on the subreddit forum in February 2018, a photo of this tattoo went viral.

The positioning of “progressively smaller rectangles” on the interior of the spiral gives the tattoo the appearance of endless depth. While some people have said that this makes them uncomfortable, most people can say that this tattoo is certainly interesting.

Last year, a photograph of two people hugging went viral and perplexed the internet. The thighs of the man appear to vanish. People were confused as to who started the hug because the man in the photo appears to have two pairs of legs.

You will figure it out if you concentrate on the man’s shorts. If you take a look, you will see that the man’s shorts are black on the sides and white in the middle, giving the impression that the woman is wearing white pants.

Despite what it might seem like, what you see in the image is not caused by a lens flare of the camera. They are called sun dogs or parhelia. Sun dogs are colorful bands of light that appear to the left or right of the sun, and at the same altitude as the sun.

They are usually seen around the sun like a ring or halo. emerging from time to time. They are said to be named sun dogs because they follow the sun like a dog following their master.

The underwater waterfall pictured above is not exactly what it appears to be. This image has been taken at the Mauritius shoreline. As it looks, there seems to be a river flowing beneath the turquoise water of the Indian Ocean.

While there are some underwater waterfalls scattered around the world, this is not one of them. This unusual incident has a simple geographical explanation. In this case, what appears to be water is actually sand being pushed off the Mascarene Plateau, an underwater shelf.