If you see just one tiger, look harder

New Delhi: Making rounds on social media, an optical illusion depicting the photo of a tiger has a hidden “second tiger” in it. It has been claimed that only a rare one percent can spot the hidden feline. “If you spot the second tiger in this optical illusion you’re in the top one percent,” an […]

New Delhi: Making rounds on social media, an optical illusion depicting the photo of a tiger has a hidden “second tiger” in it.

It has been claimed that only a rare one percent can spot the hidden feline.

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“If you spot the second tiger in this optical illusion you’re in the top one percent,” an internet user claimed.

A lot of people failed at spotting the second tiger not-so-visible to the eye, but here’s the trick; just like any other illusion, this optical illusion, too distorts how your mind interprets sensory stimulation.

In illusions, the “hidden” element is often not as masked as it claims to be. So, before giving up, take another minute, and try again!

Here’s the trick; while you are busy scanning through the lush scenery behind the tiger to spot the one hiding, the solution is a lot simpler.

The answer lies in the stripes of the tiger spelling out the words “the hidden tiger”. A closer look at the tiger’s front leg, body, and hind leg reveals the “second tiger” which only the “smart ones can find”.

Interestingly, the internet loves optical illusions. The modern web culture shares and judges several such pictures online.

More than just being a bit of fun, optical illusions also hold real value for scientists. These brain puzzles help researchers shed light on the inner workings of the mind and how it reacts to its surroundings.

“Visual illusions show us that we do not have direct access to reality,” scientists Kim Ransley and Alex O. Holcombe, of the University of Sydney said in 2017 while highlighting the importance of illusions to our understanding of the brain.

They further said that rather than delivering information from our eyes in nearly raw form as a camera would, the brain tries to determine what is actually out there.

“When the information entering the eye is ambiguous, the brain must make educated guesses,” they said.

More so, the love for challenging one’s senses is so avid, that there is a website for it; “Best Illusion of the Year contest” which holds a competition for the best illusions every year.

As per the website, the event is a celebration of illusions and perception, “created by the ingenuity of the world’s premier illusion creators.”

“Visual scientists, ophthalmologists, neurologists, and artists make up the illusion community,” the website further states.