doubletake

In an effort to try to recognize everything at a glance, eyes sometimes throw information at us that doesn't exactly make sense. Strange perspective can give us things that shouldn't exist, for instance, a valley inside of a fence post, or a cat with a human butt.

Of all the amazing things our eyes do for us, it's kind of surprising how easily they can be tricked by just a little bit of messing with some light and shadows. Nevertheless, double-take-inducing images of skewed perspective will endure as a quizzical pastime for our beleaguered light-and-movement-sensing optical goo.

With a camera tilt here and well placed cat there, one image can quickly become a double-take inducing image of skewed perspective. Sometimes two items will blend together so well that it takes a minute to realize you're looking at some intriguing perspective.

The human eye is a pretty incredible thing. It manages to detect incredible amounts of information and send them to your brain where it all gets organized into something that makes sense to you. That said, your eyes aren't doing a perfect job. They will confuse you from time to time, and this confusion will result in real-life optical illusions. All of a sudden you'll think you're looking at a giant woman, a floating head, or a goat walking on two legs. Like these.

Here are a bunch of real-life optical illusions ready for the double-taking. Images like these might have you thinking things like "Is that a wondrous mountaintop landscape?" And the answer is "no, it's a filthy mud puddle. Look harder!" So go slow and take a second to make sure you're seeing the right thing. For more confusing images, here are some eye-crumbling images of crazy perspective.