Optical illusion only 2 per cent of people can solve at first glance

NZ Herald

10 Jan, 2024 06:53 PM3 mins to read

Only those with a keen eye for puzzles can spot the image hidden in this illusion.

Think you have an eye for optical illusions? Never met one you haven’t been able to solve? Well, this one may finally stump you.

The New York Post has released a brand new illusion that supposedly has an animal lurking among the monochromatic chevron pattern. However, only 2 per cent of people have been able to spot it.

According to the news outlet, the most elite puzzle solvers should be able to spot the hidden creature within eight seconds of looking at the illusion but it seems it’s proved troublesome for even the most well-versed solvers.

At first, the image appears to only show a zig-zag pattern in black and white rows, but if you squint your eyes and look a bit closer it will reveal a striped animal in the image.

Only those with a keen eye for puzzles can spot the image hidden in this illusion.

The Post offers a spoiler for those struggling to spot the animal saying “try focusing on the image while your eyes are closed”.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

After stumping 98 per cent of their viewers, the news outlet reported that there is a zebra positioned at the centre of the brainteaser.

It’s not the only illusion to stump the internet, previously a black-and-white grid caused a commotion.

The optical illusion is hard to look at but worth it as it holds the portrait of one popular celebrity.

The Sun reported there are a few tricks to reveal the beloved celebrity hiding in the black-and-white dotted illusion. The first is shaking the device the illusion is displayed on to an angle. While another option is staring at the grid while moving away from your phone or PC, the publication claimed this is the most effective method.

There's a celebrity hidden in this optical illusion. Photo / Supplied

After staring at your screen for a while you will soon notice the famous face belongs to one of the greatest pop icons of all time.

Michael Jackson.

Speaking to The Sun, Dr Gustav Kuhn, psychologist and human perception expert at London’s Goldsmiths University, said the puzzle is a reflection of how our brains process information.

“Our eyes encode vast amounts of messy sensory information, and our brain uses clever tricks to disambiguate this information to try to make sense of what it is we are looking at,” Dr Kuhn said.

“What you see is results of vast amounts of neural computation, mixed with a bit of guesswork.

“For example, when you stare at a bunch of trees, you can interpret this as a forest or a tree.

“What you are seeing depends on which aspect of the scene you are focusing on.”