Real and Weird Photos That Show Our Planet’s Unusual Side

This guy might look like something out of photoshop, but it’s actually called a Buettikofer’s epauletted fruit bat. The long-snouted bat is found along the coast of sub-Sahara Africa, and despite its look, the bats only eat fruit. They are also pretty common throughout their range, meaning that if you really want to see one, you likely can. However, like most bats, they are nocturnal and only come out at night.

No, this area wasn’t damned or flooded; it actually used to be an underwater silver mine. These shafts located under Lake Superior were at one time the entrance to one of the richest silver deposits in the world. However, as you might imagine, it’s not easy to mine underwater. The company that ran the mine had to build up a wall around the deposits and run a pump day and night to keep water out of the shafts. 

The Iberian peninsula is home to some pretty crazy cultural traditions. In addition to running with the bulls, it also hosts this spectacle. The Catalonian tradition dated back to the early 18th century and started as a simple cultural activity. However, in the 1980s, the region began constructing these “castells” or human towers as part of competitions. Today, the tradition is listed under UNESCO, and the festivities are carried out every year in the region. 

Seeing photos of nature in a rage hits different when it’s right next to an everyday suburban house. This shot seems to have been taken in someone’s yard and shows an incoming storm front. The way the clouds are swirling makes you think this place might be in for a tornado or at least some pretty heavy gusts. However, it’s also pretty cool and gives the viewer a sense of scale. It also gives off a feeling of eery calm. 

This photo is a pretty good reminder that sometimes the best shots aren’t of gorgeous scenery or Instagram-worthy waterfalls but, instead, tiny details found all around us. If you have some trees around you, it’s likely you could find a leaf with similar matching veins to the ones on your hand. Of course, it might take a couple of hours of searching, but it honestly sounds like a unique and beautiful way to connect with nature.

Artists aren’t the only people who are known to take their creations to the extremes, and fashion designers are known for creating some pretty outlandish costumes. This snake dress, while incredible, also looks like it took days and possibly weeks to create. Made from leaves, someone had to weave every little detail by hand, and then this model had to somehow put it on. Like seriously, how does this thing unzip?

We all know that nothing beats the views from the window of an airplane, but it can sometimes be tricky to know just when something worth looking at is within view. This passenger had no so problem and managed to take a snapshot of Japan’s Mt. Fuji at the perfect time. What makes this photo especially appealing is the way the mountain seems to be cutting through the clouds. 

Whales are amazing creatures. Not only are they absolutely huge and intelligent animals, but compared to other creatures in the wild, they actually have pretty long lifespans. Whales can live anywhere from 10 to more than 70 years, depending on the species. The shape and patterns of their fins can also be distinguishing features, which is what this photographer(s) captured. Someone took a picture of this whale in 1985 and again in 2020. 

This is a pretty cool story. Apparently, this man was a pilot during World War II, and that plane in the background was one that he piloted during the war some 97 years ago. The look on his face says it all, and we would be just as proud if a warplane we piloted was being displayed in a museum somewhere in the world. It’s kind of hard to believe this plane was once flying through the skies and could’ve even been involved in a dogfight or two. 

This gigantic flower has a reputation that matches its size, but it’s not for being particularly lovely. The corpse flower unleashes a pretty pungent smell whenever it blooms, which is only about once every eight years. It also only opens up for a day, which attracts visitors who aren’t afraid to brave the smell and snap a photo. These flowers are present in a number of botanical gardens all over the world.

Unless you happen to live somewhere in Europe, chances are you’ve never seen a castle up close and personal. Many times the photos just don’t do them justice. These massive structures were made to be impenetrable, and this is a good example of conveying scale that is often missing from travel photography. If you look towards the bottom right, you can get a sense of how tall these walls actually are. 

Taken in Bulgaria, these costumes are part of a pagan tradition that’s still practiced in the country. The costumes are mainly worn by men and made out of leather. The men used to wear these costumes and dance in order to ward off evil spirits. Today, it’s mostly performed in Bulgaria as a way to practice the local culture. However, this is a pretty cool local tradition that has endured and still hasn’t been covered very heavily by major media outlets. 

While spilled drinks just come with the territory at bars and restaurants, this establishment found a pretty hilarious way of dealing with people who aren’t careful with their alcohol. This unfortunate guy found himself sipping his beverage from a baby bottle after he spilled a drink. We can’t really blame the bar; there’s nothing worse than someone who’s had a bit too much and then proceeds to be careless with their glass. 

Nature isn’t always serious, and sometimes it can be downright weird. We aren’t sure what went into turning this pumpkin into its, well, odd shape, but we’re certainly curious after seeing this photo. The octopumpkin in this photo looks like something an artist spent hours carving out, but this pumpkin apparently grew into this shape all on its own. It certainly makes carving for Halloween all the more easy. 

You don’t have to go back in time or delve into a fantasy TV drama to see dinosaurs or dragons. This little guy could be either, and it’s alive and well today on Africa’s southwestern coast. These are called armadillo girdled lizards, and while they’re quite small, they still look frighteningly like their ancient relatives. The reason this guy is biting his tail is that he’s trying to protect his soft underbelly. 

This photo is just another example of nature being absolutely weird and wonderful. The beehive pictured here looks like it’s melting and falling to the ground, but it’s actually perfectly fine and stable. Some bees have probably been making their hives this way for thousands of years, but it’s kind of cool to note that this also looks like some kind of futuristic building out of a sci-fi TV show. 

Despite the way it looks, this photo was not altered. This person’s window panes make it look like a different time of year is happening in each pane. Of course, this is just a coincidence, and the trees pictured here just have different types of foliage, but it’s still pretty cool. The shot also makes for some pretty great nature photography inspiration. The only thing that could make it better would be some snow in one of the panes, but that’s bordering on the fantastical. 

Artifacts found in burials can often give researchers clues and looks into the past that otherwise wouldn’t be apparent. The remains of this young girl were discovered buried with this ceramic crown of flowers. Researchers have found similar wreaths near where this burial was uncovered, near Patras in Greece, and thought that they might come from wealthy aristocratic families. Either way, they definitely show the love and care people had for each other even back then. 

Someone caught a wild salmon, and when they went to fillet it, they found that they caught more than bargained for. The fish had a tracking chip in it that researchers were probably using to study the fish’s migration patterns. It’s a good thing this person decided to fillet the fish instead of cooking it whole. Otherwise, they might have ended up being the ones tracked.

This might look like something out of a horror movie, but it’s actually just a close-up view of some pizza dough. The details in the stringy dough are easy to see at this magnification, and it’s no wonder dough can often feel bouncy and stringy when you hold it in your hand. This photo reminds us of a pile of spider webs all stuck together, though, and now we’re not sure we can ever look at pizza dough the same. 

We’ve already seen a few artists who went pretty above and beyond with their pieces, but this one might just be our favorite of the bunch. An artist named Jose Manuel Lopez Castro created these sculptures made out of stone. We’re not sure exactly how he managed to do it, but they’re pretty mesmerizing to look at. According to his biography, he tries to erase any trace of human intervention before he finishes each piece. 

This long, long platform is actually a conveyor belt that’s situated in Western Sahara. It’s the world’s longest, and it’s used to carry phosphate from a Moroccan mine all the way to the ocean some 61 miles away. We’re not sure why they just don’t transport the phosphate using vehicles, but the belt makes for some good travel photography. It also raises a lot of different questions.

This photo is actually of the Kennedy Space Center and NASA’s vehicle assembly building in Florida. Apart from being pretty isolated, the photo is striking for the distance between the main building and the two launch pads pictured towards the bottom of the photo. The center is where astronauts first launched off and eventually touched down on the moon and where today, companies like SpaceX are vying to lead the way in commercial space flight.

It might come as a surprise to some out there, but crows and ravens are actually very intelligent creatures. They’ve been documented dropping seeds into oncoming traffic in order to break them open, and their problem-solving skills are among the best in the animal kingdom. They also like to annoy people and other animals. This photo shows a crow nagging a much larger hawk or eagle, who could turn around at any moment and take this fearless crow out. 

Another simple photo idea just about anyone can do at home; the lights in this photo are simply the trails of fireflies. Someone probably used a long exposure to capture this image, and it’s really quite amazing. It looks kind of like someone has strewed lights all along the forest floor. The fireflies, or lighting bugs depending on your vernacular, simply do their thing while the exposure captures their flight paths. 

Electric shavers might be the more convenient option, but there’s no beating the clean cut of traditional razors. And you don’t have to take our word for it either; just look at these two photos. The one on the left shows hair that has been cut using a traditional razor. The one on the right shows hair after it’s been cut using an electric razor. Yeah, that’s a pretty stark difference. 

Even though we have paintings and actual relics depicting what ancient peoples actually wore, it’s hard to visualize and appreciate just how that would’ve looked. Most artifacts on display in museums are way past their prime and don’t do themselves justice. The truth is that despite limited technology, craftsmen were extremely skilled in the ancient world, and these 2,500-year-old Greek armbands are a good example of that. 

Bird watchers already know this, but nature photographers take note that our flying friends make for excellent portrait subjects. This white-browed tit-warbler is a good example of the fascinating diversity within the bird kingdom. The odd little bird is native to the Tibetan Plateau and is incredibly small. But, it’s also incredibly unique. We mean, just look at those colors. This little guy likely uses its rainbow-colored feathers to attract mates since it doesn’t seem like they would make good camouflage.

This bizarre sculpture of a gorilla might look like it’s made out of metal, but it’s actually made from old tires. We’re not sure who the artist was or what the point of the sculpture is, but apparently, it’s located in Bangkok, Thailand. It also must’ve taken ages to cut up all of that rubber and then piece it all together as one giant gorilla statue. 

Your eyes do not deceive you; that’s a watermelon growing from a tree. But there’s actually a simple explanation for it. Apparently, a watermelon vine weaved its way up this tree and suddenly started growing a watermelon all the way up there. It’s not every day you see a watermelon growing from a tree, which makes us wonder if it actually tastes any different from one grown the old-fashioned way. 

These tomatoes, called different names depending on what seeds are used to grow them, are actually a variety of blue tomatoes you can plant and grow yourself. The inside is usually a deep red or pink color, and some sources say they taste “clear” and a bit sweet. These particular tomatoes are called “indigo rose,” but there are different varieties that were created using different methods. However, even though they are purple, they don’t contain as many antioxidants as you might find in other purple fruits. 

These houses are part of a village in Romania where everyone is required to paint their houses. This tradition dated back to the 1950s and was apparently started by one family that decided to paint their house. This soon set off an arms race of sorts, and before long, almost everyone was trying to one-up their neighbor for the best-painted house in the village. 

Okay, this might not be the most profound or dazzling photo on this list, but who doesn’t want to see a camouflaged pizza? We mean, what are the odds? Someone made this alfredo pizza, and when they brought it out of the oven, they noticed that it almost matched their countertops perfectly. Besides making us really crave some pizza, this photo makes us raise an eyebrow or two at those countertops. 

Have you ever found yourself walking down a sidewalk or paved path and wondered why someone chose to pave that specific walking area? Well, so did the people at The Ohio State University. So much so, in fact, that they allowed their students and faculty to determine their own paved paths. Before laying down cement, they allowed people to walk on the grass. After a trail had been carved, they simply paved over the most used paths. 

Glassblowers will often sign their pieces like any other artist would, but sometimes they find inventive ways of doing so. This artist signed his piece using braille, which shows their dedication to being accessible. The piece is pretty good as well, as it’s quite hard to make glass as thin and hollow as what’s shown on the piece here. Now we just wish that we could read braille.