40 Mind-Bending Comparisons That Prove Everything’s A Matter Of Perspective

Us humans have a habit of thinking of our existence as the center of the universe. In fact, Galileo was famously almost killed for claiming this wasn’t the case. We don’t blame them for getting upset; you’d probably agree it quickly becomes overwhelming to think about just how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things!

Life is a matter of perspective. We laugh at ants struggling to carry a leaf, but did you know that if an ant was human sized, it’d be able to lift a truck? Comparisons are also often the only way we can get a sense of passing time. Anyone who still has hand prints from kindergarten will know what we’re talking about.

In this article, you’ll find comparisons of all kinds of things, and we’re sure that you’ll leave feeling satisfied and maybe even a bit humbled. Let’s get into it!

The Difference Three Years Can Make

Dogs are really quite incredible. Not only can they be your most loyal companion, but they can also melt your heart with just one look. This photo proves how true the latter is, and that it doesn’t change no matter how old they get.

These two photos are of the same dog and weathered boot, taken three years apart. The first photo shows how small the dog used to be as a pup, managing to fit into the boot. Three years later, only one paw can fit in.

New Zealand Going Plastic Free

We have come a long way when it comes to taking a harder and more serious look at our ecological footprint. That said, many would argue that not enough has been done, or that some countries and governments are still very behind.

Zealand, however, seems to be making some impressive progress. This image was taken from a Zealand supermarket that was testing a new no-plastic packaging trial for vegetables and fruit. When shown side by side, you can really see how wasteful commercial packing is.

How Big Can a Maine Coon Grow?

The infamous and gigantic Maine Coon is well known for being the largest breed of domestic cat in the world. The average fully-grown Maine Coon, depending on gender, can weigh between 4-8 kg and measure close to 100 cm in length.

Check out this side-by-side image for a good visual aid of much they can grow. In the photo on the left, the cat is only around three months old, and six months on the right. Meaning it isn’t even fully grown yet.

Taking Care of the Land

Back in 2001, the famous Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado and his wife Lélia decided to revitalize their plot of land. Both are known for their environmental activism; true to form, they made their plan of planting over two million tree saplings…

The top picture shows what the land used to look like. And the bottom shows what it looked like 18 years later. They managed this impressive feat through their environmental organization, Instituto Terra, which sought to restore the Rio Doce valley.

How an Eagles Feathers Change as it Ages

Eagles are widely regarded as being one of the most graceful flyers, while simultaneously also being one of the fiercest. There’re multiple species of eagles from around the world, but today we are taking a look at the bald eagle.

What you are looking at is the same eagle only photographed a few years apart. Many animals tend to experience quite radical physical changes as they mature. The bald eagle is born with a head of brown plumage that turns white as it ages.

Same Street, Different Seasons

A change in seasons can bring about some really interesting changes in the weather and landscape. Some countries aren’t all that affected. Depending on where you live geographically, it just might get a little colder or warmer. But some areas are a bit more drastic.

Take this street in Canada, for example. It was photographed in the winter and again in the summer. The change is almost unbelievable. Had we not been told they’re the same street taken around six months apart, we would’ve guessed that they’re two different locations.

Croissants, Before and After

The French are known the world over for being masters of the culinary arts. Regardless of if it is sweet or savory, odds are that they have mastered both. There are a number of iconic French dishes and pastries, like the croissant.

Croissants are absolutely delicious fluffy little pieces of buttered heaven. And while they might not look all too complicated, a lot of work goes into making one. One professional baker decided to share a before and after of a croissant.

A Little Baby Snake Next to Mama

In Thailand, there exists a particularly famous species of serpent that you likely haven’t heard of. We are referring to the southern Thai king cobra. King cobras can be found in many other places, but the Thai one seems to be the largest.

Here we have a picture of a tiny three-week-old Thai cobra that is completely dwarfed by the 17-year-old adult cobra. The Thai king cobra is believed to grow close to three meters in length and around five kilograms in weight.

A Familiar Face

You have probably heard about doppelgänger at some point in your life. How I Met Your Mother used it is a pretty funny running gag during its run. It’s a German word that means “double-walker,” referring to someone who looks exactly like you.

Many people have, over the years, come across their own doppelgänger, some living and others found only in museum portraits. It turns out that Mark Zuckerberg happened to have his own doppelgänger found in a Pompeii exhibit. Or, perhaps he’s a reincarnation of the ancient figure.

The Effects of Seaside Corrosion

For some, there is nothing better than being able to live by the seaside. And we have to admit that there is just something magical and revitalizing about it — provided it’s not too cold! However, there are some downsides.

One of the main drawbacks is the annoying reality of how good salty sea air is at corroding/rusting metal. We have two pictures for you that show its effects. One is far from the sea, the other close to it.

Women’s Pockets vs Men’s pockets

Chances are that many, many people are already very aware of the size irregularity when it comes to pockets. More specifically, the difference in size and carry capacity of women’s pants pockets versus men’s pockets. This picture really puts it into perspective.

On the right, we see a guy who was able to fit almost an entire Switch Lite into his pocket. Whereas his female friend on the left could only it less than half of a Switch Lite into her pocket.

A Chicken Egg vs Emu Eggs

The emu is a rather comical creature from Australia. In fact, they are related to another bizarre creature — the ostrich. Both are contendors for the largest species of land birds in the world, a fact that is hammered home in this picture.

What you are looking at, are two pairs of emu eggs with a tiny chicken egg right in the middle. Just a single emu egg is big enough to have its own egg carton. And yes, they are actually that green.

That is One Gigantic Ant!

Ants are one of the most numerous groups of bugs in the world. Both due to diversity within its own family as well as there just being so many of them! Because of this variety, one is way bigger than others.

The poster of this image shared an interesting story of how a recent flood brought in an unexpected guest. The guest in question was this massive unknown species of ant, lying next to a regular everyday ant. It’s really unsettling!

Sheep, Before and After a Sheering

A great woolly flock of sheep is an iconic staple of any proper farm. Sheep are arguably among the oldest species of domesticated livestock and were often raised for their wool, milk, and meat. Speaking of wool, take a look at this.

Here we have a rather humorous photo of a group of ewes (female sheep) before and after they were sheered. As you can see, they are much smaller without their thick woolly coats. Either way, they still look really adorable!

Old Habits Die Hard

Thanks to the advancement of modern technology, we are now able to do things previously thought to be impossible. A fine example would be ultrasound and sonogram technology that lets us take a look at growing babies during pregnancy. We even have 3D renderings now!

What is particularly interesting about this particular sonogram is that it really embodies the saying that “old habits die hard.” As you can see, this little baby grew rather accustomed to sleeping like this in the womb and didn’t kick the habit once he was born.

The Scars of Tourism

The world is filled with tens of thousands of amazing flora, fauna, landscapes, and cultures cultures. Because of this, it’s no wonder that we all hear the call to explore the rest of this marvelous world. Some of us can’t get enough of all the world has to offer…

Tourism allows us to do this while also serving, in many instances, as economic lifeblood for many countries. However, tourism also has its fair sheer of negative consequences. Like the defacement of bamboo shoots, except for one that grew during the pandemic — pristine and free of human influence.

Moss Camo

We all know that the wild is a dangerous place filled with many threats, a reality that has led to dozens of wild species developing unique quirks to increase their chances of survival. A particularly interesting one is the golden plover.

Well, more accurately, the golden plover when it is still a chick. Looking at this image. We see that the plover developed a special kind of plumage that allows it to blend in with rock moss. They must be really good at hide-and-seek!

The Mud Maid

This stunning sculpture is the Mud Maid, a living sculpture that was made in 1998 by Sue and Pete Hill. This sculpture can be found in the Lost Gardens of Heligan (a collection of protected gardens) in Pentewan village, England.

The Mud Maid is called a living sculpture because its appearances changes depending on the season. During summer, the statue is covered in vibrant moss, resembling a green dress, while snowy winters cover her in a white blanket. Such a brilliant idea!

A Change of Paint

Okay, this one we are a bit on the fence about, but if it is real, then it’s super cool. Apparently, horses can actually change the color of their coats between summer and winter. Just like this horse, for example.

We have heard of horses’ color turning lighter or darker, but we have never seen something as drastic as this. How does a horse go from pitch black to light brown in color? Now you can see why we are a bit suspicious.

A Fashionable Way to Recycle

As times are changing, people worldwide are starting to take our impact on the environment more seriously. A number of companies and fashion houses have even started selling clothes made from recycled materials. How does it work, you ask? We’ll show you…

This clothing store decided to feature a display that illustrates the process of turning plastic into clothes. Shredding and spinning the plastic continuously and washing and treating it until it turns into a cloth-like material. It sounds crazy, but those polyester shirts you have are already made of plastic!

Big And Small Dogs of Alaska

The internet is capable of providing us with some truly fascinating images and trivia. Unfortunately, it is also capable of spreading false information or inaccurate representations of the facts. This next picture is an example of when the whole story wasn’t told.

Here is a gigantic Alaskan malamute, hovering over a tiny Alaskan Klee Kai. Klee Kais are a small dog breed, but you should keep in mind that this one is still a puppy. Making this size comparison a bit unfair.

Limes and Lemons

Many, if not all, “inventions” were likely learned about by accident. The creation of cheese, jams, and who knows what else was likely first discovered this way. While not as ground-breaking, the poster of this next image also discovered something new.

It seems like they wanted to add some flavor to their water by adding sliced lemons and limes. And what we see is that the lemons floated to the top while the limes sank to the bottom. We didn’t know that lemons and limes had different densities!

The Tiniest Frog

We know we have already talked about tiny frogs, but you can never have enough of these cute little amphibians. What we see here is a zoomed-in shot of someone’s finger and the minuscule frog next to it — we doubt that it’s a normal frog and a giant person.

It is almost impossible to determine what species of frog this is due to a lack of information. That said, it is likely related to, if not the same, frog mentioned earlier. It would be a nightmare having one as a pet.

Special K Lies

We all enjoy a good bowl of cereal in the morning, or in the evening — who’s to say cereal cannot be a dinner meal (or late-night snack). Special K tends to be a fan favorite for many people, especially the one with strawberries.

However, there is an issue that this poster pointed out. Here we see two Tupperware containers, one filled with all the cereal of two boxes of Special K. The other with their strawberries. As you can see, they don’t quite measure up.

Tattoo Removal

Tattoos are great. They have long been seen as a way for individuals to visually express their interests and experiences. Or to reaffirm their pride in their heritage through cultural and spiritually important tattoos, such as those of the Māori.

But, while they are cool to have or see, they do come with a downside. They are permanent! While yes, you can get them removed, it is a painful and lengthy process. A fact that this person quickly learned after their decision to have it removed.

Don’t Let People Trick You

As we all know, sadly all too well, the internet is equally a place of learning as well as misinformation. This next picture went quite viral when the proud parent compared the size of their two-week newborn with their burrito.

Yes, the burrito might look like it is almost bigger than the baby, but things aren’t how they seem. This visual result was achieved thanks to forced perspective. The burrito is held above the baby, meaning it is closer to the camera.

Worth of Gold Compared to Silver

There are dozens of precious metals from around the world. Some are used to create tools and equipment, some are invaluable for components in our computers and phones, and others go into creating jewelry. And as we know, some are more valuable than others.

This person took a picture of $5000 worth of silver, represented by the silver bars. And right next to it is a tiny gold disk of equal value. This should really hammer home the point of why gold is more expensive.

How much Sugar Are You Actually Drinking?

People often go on at length about how they just hate going to the dentist. Some of you might share similar feelings. But we can probably all agree that it is an important thing to do. The experience can also be quite eye-opening.

This particular dentist obviously learned that their patients weren’t taking them seriously when it came to sugar. So, they decided to adopt an eye-catching an visually informative approach. This display shows you much sugar is in each item behind them.

Baby Tooth, Kitten Tooth

Ask any parent, and they will tell you that there are numerous special moments to expect when raising a child. One everyone looks forward to (well, the parents really) is when children start losing the first of their baby teeth.

Except this particular parent was doubly lucky. Not only did their daughter lose her first tooth that day, but so did their kitten. You see each tooth resting in the palm of their hand. Hopefully, you can tell which is which.

Cool Cat Eyes

If you’ve ever seen pictures of huskies, then you’ve likely seen that some of them have two different eye colors. This phenomenon is called heterochromia, which causes irises to be different colors. But despite the visible difference, there is nothing to worry about.

This pet owner shared a picture of their cat, who has heterochromia, and the interesting side effect it has. Apparently, it has the effect that causes light to reflect differently, creating this rather eerie result. Maybe it’s a robot with laser eyes for all they know.

Barcelona, Night and Day

Looking at satellite imagery of the globe at night, it is always interesting to see how illuminated the countries are. And as you can likely imagine, the effect is actually quite stunning if you zoom in a little bit more.

This is a picture of the beautiful Spanish city of Barcelona. One during the night and one during the day. And while the city is ridiculously beautiful at either time, the glowing night-time look really is enchanting.

How Big The Biggest Fish is as a Baby

When we think of the biggest animals that live in the ocean, our minds immediately go to whales. And while the whales are among the largest animals in the ocean, they are not fish but mammals. So, what is the biggest fish?

Well, there are quite a lot, but one of them is the sunfish — a great big and very oddly shaped fellow that is bigger than a man, but absolutely tiny as a new-born. That’s quite the grow up! Get it?

How Much a Snail Can Grow?

Linked to the sunfish’s rather drastic growth spurt, they’re quite a lot of animals that share a similar growth pattern. The one we are talking about here is a snail that outgrew its home, as you’ll see in the picture below.

This individual shared two pictures of their pet snail and the story behind them. Their snail lived in a 4 cm shell when first found. Later, it ditched that shell for one 17 cm in size in only under a year!

One of the Largest Plants in the World

Just as the world is filled with hundreds of bizarre animals, it is equally filled with hundreds of interesting plants. One, in particular, is the Amorphophallus titanium, simply known as the titan arum, though you may know it by its other name, the corpse flower.

It is known as the corpse flower due to the horrendous odor it can release. The arum flower only blooms once every 40 years and easily stands taller than a man. It’s a pretty cool sight to behold — just make sure to hold your nose!

Doggy Receding Hairline

Dogs have long been referred to as one of the best and most loyal companions you could ever have. Sadly, they don’t stick around as long as we’d want them to. Such good boys and girls deserve long, happy lives.

Just like humans, dogs can also show physical signs of ageing, besides moving a bit slower. This person’s old boy, for instance. The dog developed a receding hairline, which you can track between the two photos which were taken six years apart.

Two Meteorites

Meteorites are fascinating little souvenirs that managed to survive their trip from outer space — which is an impressive feat by itself considering how much force is released upon impact. This next poster had two interesting ones to show the world.

They shared this picture of meteorite samples that they had. One is said to come from the moon, the other from Mars, of all places. Sadly, it is a bit suspicious as they didn’t really provide a whole lot of proof or information.

A Tiny Frog on a Penny

Frogs are arguably one of the cutest and most interesting species of amphibians from around the world. One thing that makes them so interesting is the sheer variety and number of sub-species that they have. From giant slimy frogs to poisonous toads…

…or adorable minuscule ones such as this little fellow resting a discarded penny. It is hard to say what species this frog was, but some species are known to be this small. A fine example is Paedophryne amanuensis from Papua New Guinea.

Fossil of Giant Turtle Shell

There are dozens of reasons people find archaeology fascinating. For us, one of the biggest ways we find it interesting is that you get to imagine how big animals used to be…even when you only have their skeleton. Like this fossil of a giant turtle, for example.

Yep, this fossil is all that remains of a shell that used to belong to a giant prehistoric turtle. We don’t know about you, but we had no idea that there were even turtles during the time of the dinosaurs.

The Oldest Door in Use in Rome

The Italian city of Rome is filled with dozens of ancient buildings and monuments that have survived for ages. Many of these ancient monuments are far better known than others. The Colosseum has to be the most well-known of all.

But one that is not as well known is this gigantic bronze cast door that dates back to 115 AD. The door was commissioned during the reign of Emperor Hadrian and is still in use today. If you don’t understand how big it is, a toursit posed next to it for scale.

One Prod to Rule Them All

And last but not least, we have one prod to rule them all. This person shared a giant prop of the One Ring, which appeared in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films. This prop has a really interesting story behind it.

Well, it’s a rather lenthy story, so we’ll just jump to the good parts. Basically, the crew needed to capture a close-up shot of the Ring while still keeping the actors in the frame. How did they solve this issue? By making a giant prop of the Ring to use instead.