35 times when the Internet helped people identify their unusual finds (36 photos)

There are hundreds and thousands of amateur detectives out there who are willing to lend a helping hand, and that's exactly what the Reddit community "What's the Joke" was created for. Here, experts in a variety of fields help other users identify all sorts of unusual and strange finds, from a megalodon tooth to a strange glow in the sky.





1. "Found this ring in my backyard while digging around in the garden. I cleaned it and it doesn't look like a normal ring. Any ideas?"



Answer: "This is a Georgian/early Victorian mourning ring. The initials belong to a deceased loved one. They were usually made of gold (18ct and up) and coated in black enamel. Yours looks to have been made around the 1820s-40s."

2. "A strange car in a wrapper. The headlights were hidden by fabric, the number plates were from somewhere. Is this just bad taste or does it mean something?"





Answer: "This is how they camouflage a car during a test drive so that no one can photograph and publish a new model that has not yet been released. Random "wave" patterns successfully hide the contours and lines of the body."

3. "Found on the beach. What is this?"



Answer: "A broken megalodon tooth."

4. "Looking at family photos from 1964, this was over my parents' house in Texas. What is this?"



Answer: "This is a rocket launch trail, called the 'Twilight Effect.' The photo was taken during sunset, so the sun is illuminating the steam/exhaust trail from below."

5. "The cleaning lady found this in my bedroom under my dresser. I tried googling it, but to no avail. What is this thing?"



Answer: "It's a voice recorder. It doesn't transmit wirelessly, so whoever installed it will come back. If you had this in your house, there's a chance you have cameras hidden somewhere."

6. "I saw this cat, at first I thought it was a regular house cat, but when I looked closer I was unsure. What is it?"



Answer: "It's a black lynx."

7. "I saw this in the garden. Is it a type of worm? Or does it have some kind of parasite?"



Answer: "It's two worms making new worms."

8. "Found this teapot a few years ago. Tried to find something similar but no luck. Does anyone know why it's shaped this way?"



Answer: "This is a portable male urinal for bedridden patients. They use it to pee when they can't get out of bed."

9. "4x4 scissors. They are awkward to hold in both hands, or with two or four fingers. What is this?"



Answer: "These are children's training scissors. Like, for kindergarteners. The extra holes are there so that an adult can help the child cut."

10. "What is this structure in the middle of the forest?"



Answer: A bomb shelter for one person.

11. "Found in my dad's room, I really hope it's not for sex. What is this thing?"



Answer: "This thing goes on your boots to keep them from slipping on ice."

12. "This thing looks suspicious. It has several attachments and looks like it's used for something. What is it for?"



Answer: "It's a snowman kit."

13. "Found in my aunt's 'treasury.' Looks like there's some kind of heavy metal weight inside. What is that thing?"



Answer: "It's a 'tracker stone', used to track coastal drift. Each one has a serial number, they bury them in a certain place, and then find them with a metal detector."

14. "Purple sky at night in southern California. Lasted about five minutes, then dissipated. What is it?"



Answer: "This glow is due to commercial marijuana cultivation. It's the color of fluorescent lights."

15. "Nursing Home Clock"



Answer: "They help prevent bedsores. The staff follows a schedule and turns patients every two hours."

16. "This thing crossed the street in front of me and drove down the sidewalk before I could get a good look at it. What is it?"



Answer: "It's an automated delivery service: probably food."

17. "My friend moved into a new house and this is what her neighbors' garden looks like. What is this thing?"



Answer: "It's a voodoo altar."

18. "A silver capsule hidden inside a wooden container in a tree in the park. What is it?"



Answer: "Geocaching, a game of finding caches. Judging by the size, inside, most likely, there will only be a list where those who found it enter their names."

19. "What's the point of these mirrors? I found them in Tros, Sweden, next to the river. They're on almost every house here."



Answer: "In Denmark they call them 'gadespejl', a street mirror. It's an old invention, basically just a mirror that lets you look out onto the street while sitting on your couch."

20. "I noticed this weird urinal in a toilet in Cologne, Germany. What is it?"



Answer: "It's called Papst ('Pope' in German). You're supposed to puke in it."

21. "Found this on the beach, never seen anything like it. What is it?"



Answer: "Squid eggs."

22. "What's that fish with the weird writing on it?"



Answer: "A lucky iron fish. Iron deficiency was a big problem in developing countries due to poor diets consisting mainly of pasta and rice, which are poor sources of iron. To increase the iron content of food, it was suggested to boil pieces of iron with it, but many were skeptical about this idea and did not dare to cook with pieces of metal. Then the metal was released in the form of a "lucky fish" that brought additional benefits when boiled in water."

23. "I took this photo on a flight from Washington to Las Vegas. Any idea what it is?"



Answer: "A mineral mine. It is the world's largest lithium deposit."

24. "What is the meaning of this sign?"



Answer: "It means: "Don't scare the flamingos." Many people ignore this sign and scare the flamingos to take a photo of them in flight."

25. "What is this chain for?"



Answer: "It's a rain chain, an alternative to regular rain gutters."

26. "What is this gun that looks like a paintball marker? The police use it in a real raid."



Answer: "It's actually a paintball marker, but the balls in it are filled with pepper powder."

27. "My mom left bleach in the sink for about a week while she was on vacation and came back and saw this. Is it mold?"



Answer: "The bleach oxidized the metal parts of the sink."

28. "This stuff has been sticking out of the creek where I live for years. I don't know where to start googling it. What is it?"



Answer: "This is the Quester, a private submarine built to rescue the Andrea Doria. Now it needs to be rescued."

29. "20 years of searching for an answer, Reddit is my last hope. What is this thing?"



Answer: "A fossil of a drummer fish (aka a bearded black croaker)."

30. "We had a party last night and this morning we found this thing on the kitchen table. It's got white powder in it and the cap is easy to open, it's not held in place by anything. It's a bottle cap for scale. What is it?"



Answer: "It's a spare container for a marking tool used in sewing. When you run it across the fabric, it makes a thin line of chalk."

31. "What are those little holes on the beach? A slap for scale."



Answer: "Traces from a scientific study of mollusks."

32. "What are those blue pipes I keep seeing in Berlin?"



Answer: "They are used to drain groundwater into rivers. The groundwater level in Berlin has been rising since the 1990s. Due to lower water consumption, groundwater extraction has decreased, and now the city has to cope with the extremely high level."

33. "It falls from the sky? What is that thing?"



Answer: "Contrails from a passenger plane. Near sunset, the vapor clouds are the same color as any other cloud under the same setting sun."

34. "I took a bite out of a McDonald's Royal Cheeseburger and it tasted chemical. I took it apart and saw this. What is this??"



Answer: "Speaking as a former employee, this is most likely from the gloves used when putting meat on the grill."

35. "An empty gel-like container in a Coke bottle. What is this?"



Answer: "Ibuprofen."