A photograph making the rounds online has left plenty of people doing a double-take after appearing to show a white alpaca hovering several feet above the ground.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The bizarre optical illusion has sparked plenty of confusion, with many needing more than a few seconds before realising what they’re actually looking at.
The image, taken from above, shows three alpacas resting in a grassy field beside a narrow gravel track. Two are lying on the grass as expected, while the third seems to be suspended in mid-air, casting no obvious connection to the ground beneath it.
The image went viral, and people are scratching their heads trying to figure out what on Earth is going on.
One viewer wrote: The black alpaca looks like a shadow, therefore making the one white one look like it’s floating…”
A second person said: “I get it. But didn’t see it initially. Saw 3 laying down from the start. If you look from a distance the black one looks like it’s the shadow of the white one next to it, so the optical illusion is it looks like the white one is floating.”
A third person wrote: “Optical illusion where the black one appears to be the shadow. Pretty cool!”
While a fourth said: “You’re the one who’s floating. How did you take the picture?”
Of course, the animal isn’t actually floating.
The illusion is created entirely by perspective. Because the image has been captured from an elevated angle, the pale gravel road running through the middle of the frame blends with the similarly coloured alpaca.
Then, of course, there is the black alpaca which, if you look hard enough, kind of looks like it’s the shadow of the white alpaca in front of it.
It’s the kind of image that becomes impossible to unsee once someone points out what’s happening. Suddenly, the floating alpaca snaps back into place, resting comfortably on the grass just like the others.
Nothing like staring at an optical illusion to avoid doing your job, is there?
Featured image credit: Mark Stebnicki / Pexels
