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When you look up at the sky full of fluffy clouds, what do you see? An elephant holding a balloon? Or perhaps a dragon spewing fire? This is nothing strange, as our brains are programmed to recognize familiar patterns and shapes in what we see. The phenomenon, called pareidolia, helps us make sense of the world and avoid danger.

Bored Panda gathered many more similar examples where people saw things as other things, assigning meaning when there might not be one. Scroll down to find them, and be sure to upvote the ones that mess with your eyes and brains the most!

#1 My Cat Looks Like A Lemur

Image credits: HushBringer_

#2 My Hair Looks Like It’s Been Caught In A Zipper/ Fits In Between Gears

Image credits: Skiigo

#3 Southern Los Angeles Looks Like A Computer Motherboard

Image credits: Mistapeepers

More technically, pareidolia is “the illusory perception of meaningful patterns or images of familiar things in random or amorphous data, as a face seen on the moon.”

Even though it’s something all people have, not much is known about the phenomenon. Neuroscientists have some understanding of where it can happen in the brain and are sure that it’s an evolutionary skill that was valuable for us in the natural world to identify faces and other threats.

#4 Match I Burned Turned Into A Microphone With A Stand

Image credits: Col_Goatbanger

#5 This Buff-Tip Moth Disguised As Birch Wood

Image credits: Zokins

#6 This Pine Wood Has An Arrow Pointing To What Was The Center Of The Tree

Image credits: PlantsAreEggcellent

Most commonly, people spot faces and animals in inanimate objects. Our hypersensitivity to detecting faces even has its own category of pareidolia—face pareidolia. In a sense, it can be considered a side effect of our ability to quickly identify human features. This efficiency in detecting faces can sometimes make us see them when they aren’t there.

#7 My Pancake Looked Like A Brain

Image credits: Azvhaalk

#8 This Mushroom That Looks Like A Glove Punching Through My Planter

Image credits: badrobotdavid

#9 This Flower Looks Like Icing

Image credits: Possible_Resort9672

Interestingly, making out objects on the moon’s surface also has its own category: lunar pareidolia. People often see light and dark patches of the moon and interpret them as familiar shapes. In some European countries, people see a ‘banished man’ carrying a bundle of sticks, while in Asian cultures they observe a rabbit.

#10 This Gekko In Madagascar That Looks Like A Wilted Leaf

Image credits: divadschuf

#11 My Dogs Eye Is Star Shaped

Image credits: IFORGOTMYLOGINTWICE

#12 Refilled Soap Dispenser Resulted In Overnight Fungi Shape

Image credits: ginkyotree

Hermann Rorschach was also inspired by people’s ability to see meaning where there isn’t. His Rorschach inkblot test, where people are influenced or guided by specialists to see things in ink splotches that reveal their unconscious thoughts, is an example of directed pareidolia. This test is still used in practice by some psychologists to diagnose schizophrenia.

#13 I Have The Shape And Texture Of A Feather At The Bottom Of My Iris

Image credits: M8614

#14 The Dog I’m Sitting Looks Like Scooby Doo

Image credits: Archtypo

#15 Found These Rusty Pliers In The Yard, Looks Like Wood

Image credits: jeffoh

Despite many optical examples, pareidolia isn’t limited to visual perception and can also happen with sounds. It occurs when we misinterpret bird songs, white noise, or running water as human speech. We also can mishear lyrics or words that don’t exist.

#16 I Spilled Diet Coke Under My Desk At Work And The Bubbles Formed A Lowercase E

Image credits: kaprandczar

#17 A Seastar Growing Back 4 Arms Looks Like A Shooting Star

Image credits: IntestineYarnball

#18 Made A Pancake That Randomly Looks Like An Apple

Image credits: carson42788

Generally speaking, pareidolia is a type of apophenia, which is a broader term for finding meaning in random data. It’s our human nature to make connections in a world that can feel chaotic and out of order. However, when it becomes extreme, it can be a sign of mental illness like bipolar disorder, severe depression, and schizophrenia, which make people lose touch with reality.

#19 Found A Really Cool Stick Looks Like A Good Wizard Staff

Image credits: Old_Effect_7884

#20 This Carrot Looks Like Those S Designs We All Used To Draw In Middle School

Image credits: uglypatty

#21 Bruise On Back Of My Leg Looks Like The Monster Logo

Image credits: ProfessorPrize6036

At the same time, experts see a positive side to apophenia and pareidolia. “We think pareidolia may enhance focus, creativity, and innovation because you’re seeing things in a different way. If this turns out to be the case, building pareidolia skills could be very useful in helping to solve problems in many areas of society,” said Susan Magsamen, director of the International Arts and Mind Lab at the Petersen Brain Science Institute.

#22 Found A Caterpillar That Looks Like A Leaf

Image credits: UnstableIsotopeU-234

#23 This Rotten Melon Looks Like A Colorblindness Test

Image credits: Thedaspokesman

#24 Accidentally Made My Eggs Like This, Looks Like A Tree With Oranges

Image credits: Anonymous_538264

“Often we underrate different ways of interpretation or unique perceptions,” she continued. “Think about all the problems that you could address by having better ability to interpret ideas and learning how to communicate and collaborate more effectively. Could something as simple as pareidolia be a tool that could help do that?”