As an internet-savvy type, you’ll no doubt be aware that not everything you see or read online is real. But of all the fake things on the world wide web, there are plenty that’d fool you…
We remember the first times we stumbled across the following 20 images. We’re not going to lie – they shook us up a bit! Okay, okay – now we know they’re Photoshopped, we feel a little silly. But can you HONESTLY say you weren’t fooled first time? C’mon!
1. The Seven-Headed Snake
This head-heavy serpent was supposedly shocking natives in a small Indian village. And it was – only with six less heads.
2. The Dinosaur Clone
Earlier this year, a story went around that scientists at Liverpool’s John Moores University had fully cloned an Apotosaurus dinosaur from trace DNA taken from a fossil and harvested it in an ostrich. Only the real-life Jurassic Park turned out to be a picture hoax. Which is a bit of a shame, isn’t it? It looks so cute!
3. Dog Man!
Brazilian Rodrigo Braga loves dogs so much, he had plastic surgery to look like one. Incredible! Well, quite. Turns out, it’s a mixture of expert model making and digital manipulation for a piece of photographic artwork called, ‘Compensation Fantasy’. Weird.
4. Ghost Boy on Farm
Okay… So this one is a little hokey, but it’s still pretty chilling. Until you realise that the kid is Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars!
5. Mutant Dog
According to internet wags, this giant dog is a mutant – a product of the Fukushima nuclear fall out. A real postman’s nightmare, this one.
6. Mutant Turtle
Big Dog wasn’t the only faked-up mutation from Fukushima. This turtle had us going for a little bit…
7. Huge House Spider
Now, this still spooks us out. Even now we know it’s been mocked up on a computer! Spiders just don’t get that big, but that doesn’t stop this image getting to us. Urgh!
8. Half Cat!
It’s a shame Half Cat turned out not to be real, we kind of liked him.
9. Ghost Caught on Deer Cam
Purported to be the ghost of a little girl caught on ‘deer cam’ CCTV, this is really just clever photo trickery. Still, it’s pretty unsettling, no?
10. An Unexpected Visitor
Another little girl ghost… Look into between the legs. Fake though!
11. Mermaid Skeleton
This is one of our favourites. This mermaid was ‘discovered’ in Bulgaria, apparently. In reality, it’s just a regular human skeleton with a bit of Photoshop jiggery-pokery do to it.
12. Pig-Fish!
Now we think about it, why would a fish have dirt on its snout? And why would it even have a snout?!
13. Snake Eats Man!
Except it didn’t…
14. Snake Girl
Speaking of snake-related things that never happened, this little girl was never born (or hatched?) as a half human/half snake hybrid. Luckily for her.
15. Winged Spider
Every arachnophobe’s worst nightmare – flying tarantulas! Luckily for them, it’s just a common fishing spider that’s had its photo tampered with. Phew!
16. Giant Mutant Squid!
Thought you’d seen the last of the gigantic mutated animals created because of the Fukushima disaster? Wrong! This massive squid apparently washed up on the beach of Santa Monica. Only it didn’t, of course.
17. Angry Koala
This looks pretty convincing, right? Well, it’s only slightly Photoshopped, that’s why. It’s a wet, angry-looking koala, alright. Just with a lot smaller mouth in reality!
18. Massive Human Skeleton
‘Found’ in Saudi Arabia, apparently…
19. Surviving Dinosaurs…?
Didn’t all the dinosaurs die out? Only what’s this? A diplocaulus STILL ALIVE! Oh, no – wait. It’s not. It’s a fake. Tch – tricked again!
20. Shark Attacks Helicopter!
And now time for the classic of the genre…
Come on… You were taken in by at least one of these, weren’t you? Own up!