Honestly, it was about time we got a new mind-binding, eye-tricking optical illusion for the people of the internet to argue over. It’s been so long since the last one , we were due for another good opinion-splitter.
The latest baffling image sweeping the interwebs is a picture of two zebras, taken by wildlife photographer Sarosh Lodhi. But this isn’t sparking some debate about whether these beautiful animals are black with white stripes or white with black stripes. Instead, people can’t figure out which of the two zebras is facing forward.
Seriously, it’s a tough one.
The 20-year veteran photographer said this just might be one of this most memorable pictures.
In an interview with Business Insider , he revealed the snap was taken last year when he traveled to Maasai Mara, a national game reserve in Narok, Kenya.
“I was clicking a dazzle of zebras in Maasai Mara, trying out various creative images,” Lodhi explained. “That’s when I saw these two approaching each other. Expecting some interaction or nuzzling between the two, I kept my focus glued on to this pair. They kept coming closer and closer and to my utter amusement they reached an alignment that caused a total illusion.”
Lodhi tweeted the image earlier this week and posed that very question to the internet.
Although a few people were quick to dismiss the illusion, insisting the picture must have been manipulated or doctored in some way, Lodhi has assured everyone that it is 100% real.
So which one of these zebras is looking at us — the one on the right or the one on the left?
To say people are pretty divided over that question is a huge understatement.
“The one on the right,” this person declared. “Going by shadow.”
“Obviously the right one,” someone else chimed in.
Others seemed to agree, with many asserting that it’s definitely the black and white fella on the right of the picture who is looking at us.
Well, I guess that ends that debate!
Except there were just as many people insisting it’s actually the zebra on the *left* who’s facing foward.
This person in particular seemed pretty certain they had the right answer:
“The one on the left is facing the camera, if you look at the ears and small tuft of hair at the back, you’ll see the ears are facing to the left, and the zebra on the left side would have to turn and look at its butt to have its ears face that way.”
And then there were those who chose a third option, one that hadn’t actually been given by Lodhi in the Twitter post.
Those users seemed to believe this is just just one big trick question — there’s a third zebra in between the two, and that’s who’s facing us, not the one on the left or the one on the right.
“There are 3 zebras, one in left, one in right and one in center,” one person deduced. “The face of the center one is in front.”
Another agreed and wrote, “The middle one.”
Alright, enough guessing. What is is the right answer?
Well, as it turns out, Lodhi has confirmed that the left is right and the right is wrong. Which is to say that it’s the zebra on the left side of the photo who’s looking at the camera. The fella on the right isn’t bothering with us at all.
Did you get the answer right or are you feeling pretty cheated right now? Let us know in the comments below!
h/t: Business Insider
