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17 Baffling Internet Finds That Were Explained by Experts
Nature made us critical, which means that when we see something, we instinctively start analyzing this thing and its purpose. This applies to whatever we do, for example, if we’re going through our grandmother’s wardrobes, a cupboard in a cottage, or if we get a photo from our drone — we can see unusual things just about anywhere. Most of the time, we can’t explain what they are, but in the 21st century, we can just snap a photo and ask the internet community for an explanation.
We at Bright Side were really interested to see the unusual things internet users happened upon in their daily lives.
1. “Veterinarian here. Felt this hard growth during a routine examination of a rescue cat, knew right away it was some kind of foreign body and took radiographs — composed of some kind of metal. Removed it but not sure what it is? The bone shows no evidence of damage from impact.”
Answer: This is a .22 caliber round. Given the amount of deformation and lack of damage to the bones, it almost certainly went through something else before ending up where it did.
2. “Found this in Apple Maps. Something on the top level of my parking garage at work”
Answer: This is a spider crane which is very common in construction where there are tight areas to have to bring machinery through like a multi-level garage. It’s covered in a tarp.
3. “Father-in-law found this amongst his stuff and we’re not entirely sure what it is…”
Answer: This is a can opener for soft drink cans before pull tabs. You punched one triangle hole along one edge, and then another on the opposite side so your drink would flow smoothly. This opener already has a spike at the back (front) for the “breathing” hole.
4. “These strange fields are north of the Sacramento airport. I’m dying to know what they are for.”
Answer: It’s part of the Natomas Basin Conservancy. They are artificial marshlands created as a habitat for local hawks, cranes, etc. It also serves as water overflow for local fields, irrigation, etc.
5. “Found 3 bottles filled with these weird colored bricks with a spring inside them. They are greasy and easy to melt. They don’t burn and have no smell.”
Answer: This is a filler for a lava lamp. The spring stays at the bottom and is heated from the bulb. The paraffin just floats in the water.
6. “My patient found this under his bed. What is it? Should I burn it just in case?”
Answer: This is Dysdera crocata, a kind of spider that eats woodlice. This one is definitely dead.
7. “Today my children brought a weird thing in from the pool. Of course, I told them it was an Alien egg and that it was time for them to write their wills, but I also want to know what this is.”
Answer: This is a gelatin capsule that vitamins and medicine are sold in. When it gets into the water, it becomes soft, sticky, and it gets bigger.
8. “What is this frying pen used for?”
Answer: It is used to cook raclette.
9. “It looks suspicious but has several interchangeable sized tips and appears to have a purpose. What is this for?”
Answer: It’s a snowman kit: the nose, the eyes, the mouth, and the buttons.
10. “What are these for in an outdoor area of a hospital?”
Answer: These are emergency showers. An affected person (chemical spills, laboratory mishaps, etc.) will pull the lever on the top and tepid water will douse them from the showerhead (above) and boot sprayer (below). The duration of these showers is required to be 15 full minutes.
11. “This thing was in my colleague’s KFC drink.”
Answer: It’s the nozzle from the soda machine. It must have fallen off.
12. “These things are all over the Norway mountains. What are they? Boxes with supplies?
Answer: In the beginning of the 20th century, people used these “wardrobes” to store compost and something like soil and sand that was spread around the snow. It made the snow melt faster and the roads were easier to clean. Now, these things are nothing more than a tourist attraction.
13. “I found this in my grandmother’s apartment. Is this a deactivated bomb or something?”
Answer: It looks like what you have there is a WWII era 81mm mortar. There is no fuse in the nose of it, and by all accounts, it should be inert. However! If you look down the hole that should be in the nose and it’s filled with a plastic-y, somewhat smelly brownish material, IT COULD STILL BE LIVE.
14. “What is this big hole that is usually found on milk cartons?”
Answer: It reduces the pressure. This is actually a measure to keep the milk contained if it’s suddenly dropped, or frozen.
15. “What is this sign’s purpose?”
Answer: It means “Do not scare the flamingos.” A lot of people would pass by this area to scare the flamingos into flying so they could get a good picture.
16. “Currently at the beach in Nags Head, NC and these things are constantly being washed up and are all over the place. They appear to twitch and move slightly. Any ideas?”
Answer: They are called “naked sea butterflies.”
17. “What is this? Found it by my toaster. Please don’t tell me it’s some kind of cockroach molt!”
Answer: “Wow, dude — this looks like a rattlesnake tail…” And it really was one!
Tell us about the unusual things you have seen? Were you about to use them in some way?
Preview photo credit sal / reddit
