A viral optical illusion of a leopard is taking social media by storm and has left many people utterly shocked.
The photo that is doing rounds on the internet this week shows a leopard whose camouflage is so compelling that it's near-impossible to spot it in the dirt.
The incredible example of camouflage was snapped by Wildlife photographer Hemant Dabi, who also revealed that he couldn't even see the big cat himself.
Despite being just seven ft away from the predator in India, the photographer said that he was keeping an eye out for another leopard. But upon closer inspection, online users discovered that Hemant was not alone in the wild.
Check out the picture below:In what could be the most challenging episode of Where's Wally, many eagle-eyed social media users struggled with spotting the leopard.
One user wrote: "No. I will rest in peace, thanks."
Another said: "Somebody posted below this pointing it out and I still had trouble finding it. Nature is fascinating and terrifying."
A third user chimed in and commented: "These sort of pictures prove to me that I wouldn't make it in the wild. Like I knew that anyway but nature would jump scare me constantly."
Star Wars actor Mark Hamil also stepped forward to say that he also couldn't spot the animal.
However, for others, spotting the animal was easy, with one user writing: "Found it in 5 seconds. No cap, no lies."
Another expressed: "Damn. Took me a minute to find it but it’s def in there. Camouflaged like a mugg."
A third stated: "Hey I found it guys. not showing where tho. bc I found it. haha."
While pictures like this may seem like just a bit of fun to browse through on social media, optical illusions can also play a very important role in our lives.
In an interview with the National Eye Institute, Dr. Matt McMahon said that optical illusions like the one above are "really valuable tools for scientists to use to understand how your eyes and your brain help to make sense of the outside world".
In addition to this, Michael Bach, a vision scientist and professor of neuron biophysics at the University of Freiburg Eye Hospital in Freiburg, Germany, also explained to ABC News that the challenge widens "mental horizons and makes it clear that things are a little different than they seem."
So, did you spot the leopard in the picture? Let us know in the comments section.
