Buzz
As Photoshop technology continues to evolve, it’s becoming harder to tell whether an image shared online is real or manipulated. Every year, countless photos go viral, and opinions about their authenticity often arise. This article delves into 20 real photos that became internet sensations. While these images showcase genuine moments, some come with fabricated backstories. I aim to shed light on the true story behind some of the most popular viral photographs.
20. Spider-Man Lizard
The Mwanza Flat-headed Agama (Agama mwanzae), a species from the Agamidae family, can be found in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya. In 2009, a photograph of this lizard went viral when people noticed its resemblance to Spider-Man. The male’s head, neck, and shoulders are a striking red or violet, while the body is dark blue. Following its rise to fame, the species has become a trendy pet.
19. Anjana the Chimpanzee
Anjana, a chimpanzee residing at TIGERS: The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species in South Carolina, USA, has always had a unique role. From a young age, she has actively assisted her caretaker, China York, in raising orphaned animals that lost their families. In 2008, Anjana’s story gained worldwide attention after photos of her with a baby white tiger went viral. Dr. Bhagavan Antle, the founder of TIGERS, shared: “Anjana has joined China in caring for baby animals. She has been a surrogate mother to leopards, lions, orangutans, and white tigers. She bottles them and cuddles with them. She’s an incredible helper.”
18. Eclipse over Bangkok
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, blocking all or part of the Sun’s light. The annular solar eclipse of January 15, 2010, saw the Moon’s diameter appear smaller than the Sun’s, causing the Sun to resemble a ring. This was the longest annular solar eclipse of the millennium, lasting a maximum of 11 minutes and 7.8 seconds, and the longest until December 23, 3043. After the event, numerous photographs went viral. One of them, taken in Bangkok, Thailand, shows an airplane silhouetted against the partial eclipse.
17. Deer on a Pole
In 2004, a set of strange photos appeared online, showing a deer perched atop a 25-foot (7.6 m) communications pole. The images were taken in Headingley, a rural area in Manitoba, Canada, just west of Winnipeg. Several locals witnessed the unusual sight, and the media speculated that the deer had been thrown onto the pole after being hit by a train. Others believed it was a prank. Interestingly, a similar incident had been reported earlier when a deer was found hanging in Delaware County, New York.
Moose on a Pole
In 2004, a similar occurrence took place when a moose was hoisted 50 feet (15.2 m) into the air by construction power lines. The event took place on Pogo Mine road, near the Teck Polo gold mine, 80 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. Officers speculated that the moose got its antlers caught in a half-inch cable, and then was hoisted 50 feet (15.2 m) into the air when the cables were tightened with a hydraulic winch. Sadly, the 1,200 pound moose was still alive when it was lowered to the ground and then euthanized. Here is the pic.
16. Monster Pig
The history of the Internet is full of viral images that show giant animals. In May of 2007, a large domestic farm-raised pig was shot and killed by an eleven-year-old boy named Jamison Stone. The location of the shooting is claimed to be a 150-acre (60 ha) enclosure within the commercial hunting preserve called Lost Creek Plantation, outside Anniston, Alabama. According to the hunters, the pig weighed 1,051 pounds (477 kg) and was 9 feet 4 inches (2.84 m) in length from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail. Stone said he killed the animal with a Smith & Wesson Model 500 that had a mounted holographic scope and ported barrel.
He fired eight 350-grain Hornady cartridges into the pig and chased it for three hours before it collapsed from blood loss. Several days after the story broke, suspicion mounted over the authenticity of the photographic evidence. Retired New York University physicist, Dr. Richard Brandt, used perspective geometry to demonstrate that the boy in the photo was standing several meters behind the pig. However, the Associated Press (AP) continues to keep the monster pig image in their archives with no mention of deception. Some other cases of viral pictures showing giant animals include Hogzilla, the camel spiders in Iraq, the giant catfish, Herman the giant rabbit, the huge eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, and the coconut crab.
15. Living on the Edge
In December 2006, photos were captured of a car accident that came dangerously close to a 200-foot (61 meter) cliff. The incident occurred when a man was driving his 1991 GMC pickup truck along Highway 59 near Hurricane City, Utah. As he was driving, the truck slid, he overcompensated, and crashed through a cement barrier. The vehicle then went off the road, crossed over a drainage culvert, spun 180 degrees, and came to a stop just 12 inches (0.3 m) from the cliff. The truck ended up facing the opposite direction from where it had been traveling. In 2007, three photos of the dramatic scene went viral, showing the truck’s path: over the drainage culvert, spinning, and halting near the towering cliff.
14. Polar Bear Plays with Huskies
Norbert Rosing, a renowned German wildlife photographer, has been featured in National Geographic. He frequently visits the western shore of Canada’s Hudson Bay, near Churchill, Manitoba, to photograph polar bears. In 2006, Rosing captured a series of photographs showing a polar bear interacting with a group of sled dogs. Initially, Rosing thought the bear might attack, but was surprised to see that the bear was merely curious. According to Rosing, the polar bear later returned to revisit the dogs.
13. Julio Aparicio Gored
Julio Aparicio is one of the most celebrated matadors in Spain. In 2010, he was performing at the Festival of Saint Isidro, Spain's most prestigious bullfighting event, held at the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas bullring in Madrid. During the event, Aparicio was gored in the face by a bull. The bull’s horn pierced under his chin and exited through his mouth. He sustained severe injuries and required two surgeries to survive. In 2010, this shocking image went viral.
12. Giant Grizzly Bear
In 2001, a series of photographs began circulating online, depicting the body of an enormous grizzly bear. Along with the images, numerous articles spread a sensationalized account of the bear’s size and its supposed habit of preying on humans. Some websites even claimed that human remains were found inside the bear after it was killed, but this is false. The bear was actually shot in October 2001 by U.S. airman Ted Winnen, stationed at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska.
Winnen encountered the massive bear during a deer hunt on Hinchinbrook Island, located in Prince William Sound. It was reported that the bear moved toward Winnen, prompting him to shoot it. The details of the encounter are unclear, whether the bear was startled or charged at the men. Winnen measured the bear at 10.5 feet (3.2 m) from nose to tail and estimated its weight to be between 1000 and 1200 pounds. While this bear was an unusually large specimen for the Prince William Sound area—twice the size of a typical bear—it's not a world record. Ted Winnen killed the bear with a .338-caliber Winchester Magnum.
11. Plane Hits Truck
On February 4, 1976, a powerful earthquake struck 160 km (99.5 miles) northeast of Guatemala City, Guatemala. The quake caused extensive damage, with many adobe homes near the city completely destroyed. Striking during the early hours of the morning (3:01 am), the disaster led to a high death toll of 23,000 people. In June 1976, National Geographic magazine released a special edition focusing on the earthquake. One of the photos, taken by Robert W. Madden, shows a plane crash. The caption reads: “Buffeted by crosswinds, a rescue plane crashes into a truck while attempting to land on a mountain highway near Sanarate. Miraculously, no one sustained serious injuries.” Sanarate is the largest city in the El Progreso department of Guatemala.
10. Black Fawn
Melanism refers to a genetic color variation found in some organisms, characterized by an increased presence of black or nearly black pigmentation in the skin, feathers, or hair. In humans, melanin is the key factor influencing skin color. People whose ancestors lived in regions near the equator tend to have higher amounts of eumelanin in their skin, making them darker. Melanin itself remains one of the most fascinating pigments found in living creatures. In 2010, rare photographs of a melanistic black fawn were posted on the website of Richard Buquoi, a photographer known for his nature photography. Buquoi took the photos near Austin, Texas.
9. Pink Dolphin
In June 2007, photos were taken of a rare pink albino bottlenose dolphin in Calcasieu Lake, a brackish body of water in southwest Louisiana, USA. The pictures were captured by Captain Erik Rue of Calcasieu Charter Service. Marine biologist Dagmar Fertl explained that this was only the third recorded sighting of an albino bottlenose dolphin in the Gulf of Mexico and the fourteenth documented globally.
8. Kurt Wenner
Kurt Wenner is a globally recognized artist best known for pioneering 3D pavement art. In his youth, he worked for NASA as an advanced scientific illustrator, creating conceptual artwork of future space missions and alien worlds. In the 1980s, Wenner introduced the world to 3D pavement art at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, using a new geometry he developed to bring his creations to life. Over the years, his work has gained international acclaim, and he now travels worldwide, creating artwork for prestigious clients. The rise of the Internet has amplified his fame, with many of his pieces going viral.
7. Bitterroot National Forest Fire
In 2000, the United States endured one of the most devastating fire seasons in its history. By August of that year, over 4 million acres of land had been consumed by flames. On August 6, 2000, multiple fires converged in the Bitterroot National Forest near Sula, Montana. As the fire raged, fire behavior analyst John McColgan captured a stunning photograph of the scene. The image showed a group of deer watching the inferno from the riverbank. In 2000, the photo went viral, becoming a symbol of the immense loss caused by the fires.
6. Snake Grabs a Wallaby
In 2005, ABC Far North Queensland, an Australian news outlet, reported a photograph showing a large olive python dragging a wallaby out of the water. In 2007, the image spread widely with the misleading claim that the snake was eating a cow, which is untrue. The olive python, Australia’s second-largest snake species, is known to prey on large animals. The snake in the picture is massive, and if you look closely, it extends off the right side of the frame. Its full length is hard to discern due to its excellent camouflage against the rocky backdrop. The photograph was taken in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
5. Mixed Twins
In February 2006, multiple UK newspapers published stories about a rare set of mixed-race fraternal twin girls. Born in 2005 to parents Kylie and Remi Horder, both of whom are of mixed race, the twins' birth was unusual due to the fact that their father, who is black, fathered both twins. Typically, such occurrences involve twins fathered by two separate men. The Daily Mail reported that the likelihood of this happening is about one in a million.
4. A Steep Climb
In September 2010, a series of photographs began circulating online, claiming to show a family of bighorn sheep scaling the steep face of Buffalo Bill Dam, a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Shoshone River in Wyoming, USA. Many websites dismissed the pictures as fake because they were not taken at Buffalo Bill Dam. Instead, the images actually depict a group of Alpine ibex climbing the face of Cingino Dam, a gravity masonry dam located in Piedmont, Italy. After going viral, it was revealed that the ibex were likely trying to lick salt from the stones. [Picture 2, Picture 3]
3. Shark Follows Kayaker
In September 2005, Africa Geographic magazine published an article titled 'Shark Detectives,' which explored the behavior of great white sharks off the coast of South Africa. The piece included several photographs depicting a kayaker's encounter with a great white shark. One photo was accompanied by the caption: 'Sitting in a 3.8-meter (12.5-foot) kayak and watching a 4-meter (13.1-foot) great white shark approach.' The article detailed the tense encounter, although the researchers had previously tested the shark’s reaction to an empty kayak and observed no aggressive behavior.
Over time, a multitude of fake shark images have circulated widely on the Internet. Notable examples include the photo of a shark leaping out of the water toward a military helicopter, the image of a shark hiding behind divers, a picture of a large shark near a surfer (which is actually a dolphin), and more recently, the image of a shark on the streets of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Irene. In the Puerto Rico photo, the shark was later found to be taken from a kayaker image.
2. Alligator with Deer in its Mouth
In 2004, an image appeared online claiming to show an alligator on Cross Lake, near Shreveport, Louisiana, holding an adult deer in its mouth. The photo stunned viewers, as the lake is a popular fishing and boating destination. Some websites misidentified the location, suggesting the photo was taken at Lake Martin in Alabama or in South Carolina. However, in August 2004, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service confirmed in a press release that the picture was taken in South Georgia, near the South Carolina border, by an officer conducting a helicopter survey for a prescribed fire. The officer noted that while 12-14 foot (3.6-4.3 m) alligators are occasionally seen in the region, it is rare to witness one taking down an adult deer.
1. A Friendly Whale
In 2009, photographer Marco Queral took some stunning pictures while diving alongside a 50 ft (15.25 m) female humpback whale in the South Pacific, near Hawaii. Having dedicated 20 years to photographing whales, Queral describes them as 'extremely intelligent, just like humans, with their own minds and distinct personalities.' One of the most iconic photos from his collection shows Queral reaching out to touch the massive whale, a moment captured by one of his diving companions. This particular image went viral in 2009.
The image has circulated online alongside a story about a whale and a group of fishermen near the Farallon Islands, located 18 miles off the coast of San Francisco. According to the story, the whale got tangled in a set of crab pots, prompting the fishermen to dive into the water and free the animal by cutting the ropes. Once the whale was safe, it is said to have returned to the fishermen and gently bumped them with its nose to show gratitude. The fisherman who freed the whale later shared that the whale's eyes followed him throughout the entire process, and it profoundly impacted him. While the story is true, it has mistakenly been linked to the Marco Queral photograph.
