Images That Will Make You Do a Double Take

By: Kate Row | Published: Oct 19, 2022

Things are not always as they seem. These images caught our attention because they are not what you might think they are at first glance. They’ll make you look twice and maybe even three times before you see what they truly are.

They will have you questioning your eyesight. We hate to tell you, but that’s not a banana — It’s a snake! So take a look at these photos, squint your eyes, then look again. These photos are certainly not what they seem.

The Amazon River or Not?

The Great Amazon River is the largest and longest river in the world. From a bird’s eye view this is exactly what it looks like; winding bends and all. But, if you look a bit closer, this isn’t a river at all.

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Source: zetbor/ reddit

In fact, it is much, much smaller than the largest river in the world. This image is a caterpillar who has chewed a path through a leaf. This little guy has no idea he just made a little work of art!

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Not the Tasty Salad You Might Want

At a glance this looks like a tasty salad. But before you take a bite of these tasty greens you should take another look. That’s not a plate of salad at all! And unless you want a mouthful of feathers, it won’t be nearly as delicious.

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Sgibbons746/ reddit

Rather, that’s a bunch of little green birds all piled on top of one another. It looks like they’re feasting on some bird feed. One little guy really gives them away. It looks like he’s screeching right at the camera!

The Moon Looks Beautiful Tonight

If you thought this was a picture of the moon, or maybe even the planet Jupiter, you would be wrong. But you’re not alone! We thought the same thing. But look a little closer and you’ll see those aren’t aliens.

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Source: thors_goat/ reddit

This photo was taken through the lens of a telescope. It’s a scene of a bunch of ducks surrounded by water and brush. No need to go to outer space to see this beautiful scene.

The Needle and Thread

This appears to be a needle pushing through cotton fabric. But this image actually shows a much larger scene. That needle is actually a rocket ship and that fabric is actually a blanket of clouds.

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Source: incognito/ reddit

At the tip of the “needle” you can see the rocket followed by a flame and a long line of smoke that follows. It’s amazing that the universe is so large that it can make a huge rocket ship appear as tiny as a needle. It’s all about perspective!

We PROMISE It’s Not a Plane

It might be difficult for us to convince you that this isn’t, in fact, a plane flying in front of the moon or flying in front of an orange. But you’re just going to have to trust us on this one. Any other guesses?

Dlxswgmstr/ Reddit

This is a microscopic image of tweezers picking up an organism off a plate. We bet that wasn’t one of your guesses! But, it’s true. Take a closer look and you might be convinced.

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Is That a Farmer?

If you’re like me, you looked at this image and saw a farmer in a field. Those green lines look like lines of crops and that little thing at the top looks like a farmer with a hat on. It’s a far assumption.

Ozone3030/ Reddit

But you might be surprised to hear that this is not a farmer in a field at all. Have you ever seen the movie The Matrix? Well, this is an image from the movie with a pointer over it. Your eyes deceive you!

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Tiny Creatures

Have you ever seen bacteria that’s extremely zoomed-in on? Well, if you have that’s most likely what you thought this picture was. But, we’re sure you soon realized that these critters are bigger than microorganisms.

Gdogg897/ Reddit

But they’re still teeny tiny! This little petri dish is full of baby turtles. They are much cuter than bacteria in our humble opinion.

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You Might Need Glasses

If you were to scroll past this photo really quickly, you would almost certainly think that it was an image of a pair of glasses. However, maybe you should get your eyes checked at the doctor because this is certainly not what it seems.

Source: Kalup_pollo/ Reddit

When you take a look at this for more than a second you’ll see that it is actually a bridge over a body of water. The reflection of the arches on the water makes it look like lenses!

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The Spiky-Haired Diver

This has to be one of our favorites! This dark-haired diver looks like he’s about to take a dip in that crystal blue water. But zoom out for a minute and you’ll see that things are not always how they seem.

Danish-pastry/ Reddit

In reality, that diver is the hand of a snorkeler. And the spiky hair is actually a sea anemone she found in the water. If you squint you might be able to see the diver again but it’s hard to go back once you know what the photo really is!

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Hungry for Sushi

Is this a sushi roll or are we just hungry? This little guy is curled up in a blanket but he sure resembles a sushi roll! That white fluffy blanket looks exactly like sushi rice and the black outside surrounding it could be the seaweed.

Arealamateur/ Reddit

The bird himself looks like he’s some kind of raw meat or imitation crab. But he’s way too cute to eat!

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Glazed Donut

You definitely don’t want to take a bite of this glazed donut. It might just bite back! These snakes look way too similar to a tray of tasty treats. Now that you see they’re snakes, they look much less appetizing, right?

Shnazzyone/ Reddit

But their shiny skin and cool designs look like it could be glaze over a sugary baked treat. However, the eyes really give them away. They sure could fool me if they were sitting in a donut case at Krispy Kreme!

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Life Imitates Art?

They say life imitates art. Or is it that art imitates life? We really can’t be sure but this photo must be an example of one of the two. Can you tell the difference between these two images? Look really close.

Chafedog/ Imgur

One of these is a black pan sitting on a bed. And the other is a cat curled up with one leg stretched out. They are almost exactly the same! We wonder if that kitty knows he has a twin.

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The Hidden Banana

Feeling low on potassium? You might want to reach for a banana, but this isn’t the one you’re going to want. This is another perfect example of a snake looking almost exactly like something else!

Firstwhistle/ Reddit

This must be a way for them to camouflage themselves and hide from predators or prey. But this one looks almost exactly like a bundle of bananas. It even has some brown spots that resemble a perfectly ripe banana.

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It’s Not as Scary as It Seems

This photo is very alarming at first, but don’t worry! It is not as it seems. We thought that this woman’s leg was horrifically injured. The way she’s grabbing onto the chair almost looks like she’s in pain which only adds to the illusion.

Bunnyadorbs/ Reddit

But fortunately, it’s just a bundled up sweater that’s sitting in front of her leg. And on second glance you’ll see she is smiling, not grimacing in pain. Phew! We were worried there for a second.

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The Lava is Coming… Or Is It?

This looks like a trail of lava coming from a volcano. The red and orange colors certainly look hot! But, as is the case with all the photos we’ve seen here today, you need to look twice to see what this photo really is.

Source: skrrtskrrtspermworm/ reddit

It’s really a photo of the sun breaking through the clouds. Most likely it was taken around sunset because of the red and orange hues. Beautiful and much less scary than an eruption of molten lava!

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Get Your Head Out of the Gutter!

No, that is not what you think it is. Get your head out of the gutter! We can’t fault you because this one made us do a double take as well. But if you really focus you’ll see this picture is as innocent as any. 

You have to see that the woman in the wedding dress is separate from the woman standing closer to the camera in the black dress. Everyone is fully clothed, as it should be at a wedding celebration!

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Wedding Photos Gone Wrong

This couple came to a beautiful barn to take some wedding photos, but they probably didn’t plan on them looking like this. We assume the photographer positioned them and wanted to showcase her beautiful dress.

Source: hobocheese88/ reddit

But the way it is draped over the wood makes it look like she’s doing the splits! But, you can see her foot dangling beneath the dress so you know she isn’t actually a gymnast.

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Wait Until You See It

The eyes give these little guys away, but we certainly didn’t think these were frogs when we first looked at the photo. They look perfectly content in their bowls, but they look a little too similar to food!

Mcapo84/ Reddit

If not for the eyes we might think that this was a bowl of guacamole and spaghetti! But the food I eat doesn’t usually say “ribbit”.

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Freshly Baked Baguette

You can almost smell this freshly baked baguette, can’t you? Psych! This is not baked bread, but instead is a little furry friend who made their way into a plant potter.

Source: spaztronomical/ reddit

One thing about cats is you can always count on them to be in the most curious positions and places! This little guy’s coloring looks just like a loaf of bread or a baguette. But the purring or the tail would probably give him away.

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That Crowd Isn’t What You Think

It looks like there are thousands of screaming fans with their hands up at a concert, but as we’ve learned you can’t always trust your eyes, especially at a first glance. This photo is not a concert at all.

Source: qwartet:reddit

It’s actually a photo taken beneath a coffee table. Those “screaming fans” are just a carpet! I never thought a concert and a living room could look so similar. We wonder if the persona who took this realized what it looked like.

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The Abandoned Carton

This abandoned milk cartoon looks like it has a face! The handle could be a nose and the shadows make it appear like there are eyes. Don’t look for too long because it kind of creeps us out! Will it start talking to us?

Source: daymanahaha/ reddit

 If you’re familiar with the Easter Island Sculptures in Chile, you might see this cartoon bears a striking resemblance to them.

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That’s a Weird Doll

There’s a lot of weird children’s toys out in the world. And dolls can be especially creepy. We thought this woman was holding one of these weird dolls, but upon closer inspection we realized that is not the case.

Source: opheliamabley/ reddit

Rather, she is holding a drink in a brown bag and there is a woman who happens to be perfectly positioned behind her. It makes it look like her head is a part of the brown bag. Depth perception is a fascinating thing!

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Giraffes of Africa

Look at those giraffes against the stunning sunset. They really are incredible creatures, aren’t they? It’s amazing to see them grazing around their natural habitat in Africa.

Source: uniqueusername111112/ reddit

Except that those aren’t giraffes at all. They’re cranes. This makes the photo a little less wondrous, but the sunset still looks stunning, regardless.

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Watch Your Mouth

You might have thought this pup had a muzzle on its mouth, but you would be mistaken. The reality of this photo is much more surprising, and much cuter as well. This is a photo of a couple of buds hanging out.

Cullenscottt/ Reddit

We’re not sure how this hamster found himself hanging on for dear life to this dog’s nose, but it makes for quite an interesting photo. And major props to the retriever for having such amazing patience with his little furry friend.

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Choo Choo Train

It looks like we’re staring down a tunnel at a train coming towards us. Those headlights look awfully menacing. Maybe that’s because that is not a train at all.

Sgibbons746/ Reddit

We have another example of a cat getting itself into a peculiar space. The little hunter looks to be wrapped in a rug and is staring down the makeshift tunnel right at the camera. Mischievous as always!

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Split Wood or Community Meeting

Have you ever seen a log of partially chopped wood? If not, this is exactly what it looks like. But of course it is another optical illusion. This group of meerkats are all huddled and look to be having some sort of meeting.

Tgumpsta/ Reddit

Maybe they’re just soaking in the heat from that lamp. Or, they might be having a discussion about their plans to take over the zoo. It’s the real life version of the movie Madagascar.

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A Truck Full of Chickens

Look at all those chickens! The driver of this truck must be some kind of farmer. We certainly have never seen a truck bed full of birds. Maybe they’re just going for a joy ride.

Flaming_ice/ Reddit

But those chickens actually aren’t chickens at all. Don’t let the white color fool you. Those are a bunch of cartons of milk. The red caps are not beaks at all. Now, the real question is, “Why do you need that much milk?”

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Is That the Inside of Your Computer?

In your computer you have something called the motherboard that holds the memory from your device and does a whole host of other things that we don’t really understand. It looks just like this with all the bits and bobs.

Keatoneatin247/ Reddit

But this is not actually a motherboard. Tech geniuses might be fooled, but this is actually the top of the building. The car on the road below and the parking garage are sure giveaways to the reality of this photo.

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An Antelope Skull to Hang on Your Wall

Have you ever been to a barbecue restaurant where they have animal heads hung on the wall? It’s not everyone’s favorite decor but it is pretty common in the countryside. This is exactly what an antelope skull looks like.

Dvzl/ imgur

But it is really a happy pup sleeping in a very odd position. Those antlers are really dog legs. We don’t know how he managed to find his way into that position or how he finds it comfortable but dogs are interesting creatures!

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The Ripples of Leather or Ripples of Water

I have a couch at home that looks just like this. The navy blue leather ripples in this same pattern. But leather isn’t the only thing that created this pattern. Water creates ripples as well.

Rlg_james/ Reddit

The boat in the middle of the photo is the real giveaway to what this photo is really showing. But it’s interesting that the way the sun is reflecting on the water even looks like worn out leather. Such different things can look far too similar when you zoom out!

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Is That a Black Hole in the Kitchen?

From this angle, the dog looks like a black hole that opened up in the kitchen. Those sweet eyes are a dead giveaway to the fact that this is really a pup. He looks like he’s patiently waiting to be pet or waiting to be given a treat.

Bananahands0666/ Reddit

This angle makes it look like he doesn’t have any legs. But you can’t miss the eyes. We want to give him a cuddle. It has to be the cutest black hole we’ve ever seen.

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Mike Wazowski

It looks like Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. has a twin and they’re taking a stroll through the park. Or it might be a couple of kids dressed up for Halloween? Nope. Guess again.

Pilear/ Reddit

This is actually two men in hazmat suits. We’re not sure what they’re protecting themselves from or why they’re wearing the suits. But whatever is on their back definitely gives them a funny looking hunchback.

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Bacon for Breakfast

There is very little that tastes better than fried up bacon in the morning. Those crispy strips are one of our absolute favorite breakfast foods and honestly they taste good any time of day. But this “bacon” probably wouldn’t taste as yummy.

Mattcloudy/ Reddit

And that’s because these are not strips of bacon at all. Rather, they are pieces of wood that happen to have the exact same colors as uncooked bacon. Sorry if we made your stomach growl!

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A Perfect Disguise

This huge mountain of ice and snow looks pretty daunting. I’ve never seen an iceberg with two horns popping out of it. And are those nostrils in the middle? This iceberg just happens to be something else entirely.

Kulpriterxv/ Reddit

It’s a bison covered in ice. The massive animal is wearing an incredible disguise. He probably blended right into the nature around him which would serve him well if he’s looking for a snack to eat!

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Riding the Wave

This is a barrel wave that any surfer would be lucky to ride. It’s the kind of thing they sit on their boards waiting hours for in the middle of the ocean. But, this poses one small problem to any surfer.

Redbaron1701/ Reddit

This is not actually an ocean wave at all. It is water, but in frozen form. So it would be pretty hard to ride on a surfboard. We see that the climber pictured has the right tools to climb the icy tunnel.

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