Every now and then, it seems like the world spits out a fun little surprise just because it likes turning everything we thought we knew on its head. Like, we spend all that effort and money to lovingly capture the majesty of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park , and the world just giggles to itself and says, “Oh dear, you forgot all the feathers.”
But it’s hard to shake our fists at the world’s little tricks for too long, because the surprises it was hiding from us for all this time are often too fascinating to stay mad at.
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1. If it seems a little too early for winter scenes, then it’s a good thing that that’s not what this is.
It’s actually sugar-forming crystals in someone’s whisk while they make marshmallows. If only our real winter wonderlands were this delicious.
2. This ladybug isn’t albino, it just hasn’t had time to grow into its spots yet.
This is known as the fifteen-spotted lady beetle, and the reason why they went with that name and not “the white ladybug” is that it darkens into a purple color with age.
3. The shape of this tree may not mean much to us, but it may have given somebody important directions long ago.
Centuries ago, people would guide the growth of trees into specific directions as a kind of early road sign to show where important trails and food sources were.
4. This cool rainbow cat looks like somebody had to paint it this way on purpose, but nope.
This dazzling display is all thanks to a broken fish tank. It somehow reflected light in just the right way to light up part of the wall, and Bailey here just decided to plop down in that space.
5. It doesn’t have anything to do with the Mayans, but this rotating calendar should be useful for about 21 more years.
And no, it seems pretty unlikely that this will predict the end of the world. Nobody’s been very good at that so far.
6. Apparently, this place uses a fake hand and some playing cards to show off its house number.
Using the 10 card instead of an ace was a clever move, but they should still prepare for confused calls from lost pizza drivers.
7. It turns out that what we knew about icebergs was just the tip of the iceberg.
Sorry about that, but I say it because this long sheet is known as a tabular iceberg. Most of its mass is underwater like the ones we know, but this one comes in a long, flat sheet because it split from the edge of an ice shelf.
8. The uodid moth apparently doesn’t like to spend too much effort making a cocoon when this little mesh “basket” seems to do the job.
At least, that’s what biologist Phil Torres figures is the reason behind why they make their cocoons like this. They keep the ants out and don’t take so much work.
The moths work smart and not hard .
9. Some glassblowers make vases and some make some lovely ornaments, but the artist behind this was a little more ambitious.
Yup, this is actually a dress made out of glass. I can’t really see anyone wearing it, but I honestly never expected anyone to make this.
10. This towering walkway in Denmark is impressive, but it was only built so people could see everything else here.
This spiraling wooden ramp is about 150 feet tall and was designed to give visitors a panoramic view of the nature park it calls home.
11. The only conclusion we can come to here was that the floor was designed this way, but why?
It looks like it would be harder for shoplifters to sprint off if they’re caught in the act, but this seems like a pretty extreme measure if that’s why they’re here.
12. Even though that line down the middle looks so perfect, this lobster was definitely like that when they found it.
That’s because it’s what is called a split-colored lobster , and only about one in 50 million will look like this. It doesn’t help that standing out like this makes it more vulnerable to predators.
13. When an insect gets stuck in amber, they can stay stuck like this for literally millions of years.
Oddly enough, this seemed to happen to mantises a lot for some reason, because two other examples from Myanmar and Spain that were 97 million-years-old and 105 million-years-old respectively also belonged to that insect family.
14. There’s a pretty specific window for the right time of year to go surfing, and this guy obviously missed it.
Although I’ve never gone surfing, my understanding is that the crashing waves can hurt enough without the little bits of ice floating in it.
15. Well, if any costume is impressive enough to make lugging a couch around all day worth it, this is probably it.
I hope that the pumpkin means she won first prize, because even if she hadn’t thrown in the handbook from Beetlejuice , this would’ve deserved it.
16. If you’ve ever wanted to experience the thrills of being pushed around by a dung beetle, here’s your chance.
So yes, that means that the ball you’d be sitting in here is supposed to be poop. Personally, riding that tiger seems a lot more appealing.
17. You may not have a flying car yet, but the company this guy works for just gave the police in Dubai hover-bikes.
They’re set to go up to 45 miles per hour and hover 15 feet in the air, but the speed and height are both adjustable.
18. It’s hard to tell when this Siberian train made its last stop, but that rust tells us that it was definitely a long time ago.
If a train still runs on coal and hasn’t attracted interest as a museum piece, this is probably what it looks like now.
19. Whoever put this fountain here likely only had the birds in mind, but that doesn’t mean the bees can’t get thirsty too.
Some folks will make the water more sugary with certain syrups to make their feeders more attractive to bees. For those people, this will probably be a common sight.
20. Sadly, this is neither evidence of paranormal activity or a sophisticated cloaking device.
In reality, this ghostly umbrella girl is made from mirrors. Apparently, figures like her can be found throughout Worpswede, Germany, so that’s definitely some incentive to watch where you’re going around there.
21. Marty here isn’t just a friendly face in this store. Nor is the Googly-eyed robot here to replace the greeters.
What Marty actually does is zip around the store and check for trip and slip hazards, as well as alert employees when the shelves run out of product. He also runs price checks.
22. This driver probably wanted to enjoy the tasteful decor while it lasted, since it actually wasn’t on their car at all.
Instead, these pretty flowers are actually just the shadows cast by some real ones. As soon as this car pulls away, that design is gone.
23. Whether this leopard likes it or not, we’re looking at surface tension in action.
This happens because water molecules on the surface don’t have too many other water molecules to bond with, so they really hold on tight to the ones they do have.
This not only means the water stretches out like this when you break the surface, but it’s also why small objects can float on top of it.
