大象传媒

Can you spot a dolphin in this Welsh harbour?

The aerial shot showing the harbour looking a lot like a dolphinImage source, Rhys Jones / Pwllheli Drone Photos
Image caption,

Do you think someone put it there on porpoise?

Is it a dolphin, or somefin else?

This aerial shot of Pwllheli harbour in North-West Wales looks a lot like the aquatic mammal, but the photographer, Rhys Jones, said he'd never realised just how much before.

"I've been up several times above the marina but it's the first time I've noticed this," he said.

"It was an amazing discovery. Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it."

The harbour is actually home to a pod of 300 bottlenose dolphins - well, now 301!

Image source, Pwllheli Drone Photos
Image caption,

Hmmm... seems fishy to us!

Delightful dolphin facts
  • Dolphins are mammals, which means they're in the same group of animals as humans

  • A group of dolphins is called a pod

  • There are 36 different species of dolphin, and the Amazon river in Brazil is home to 4 species that can't be found anywhere else in the world

  • They're very clever - bottlenose dolphins are among the only animals in the world (alongside humans and apes) to be able to recognise themselves in a mirror

  • They literally sleep with one eye open, to look out for predators

Why do we see faces in things?

It's not uncommon to see faces in everyday objects, such as the burnt bits of toast, or in the world around us.

The phenomenon is known as face pareidolia (you say it 'pa-ray-doy-lee-ah'), which is when the brain tries to make sense of things and makes you see images that are not actually there.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

How cheesy!

It happens because the brain recognises something as a possible face in a few milliseconds, but even when it realises the object isn't actually face it still continues to analyse it.

Humans have learnt to identify faces so that they can decide if someone is a friend or a foe - we do this by checking their emotions, so if they are they happy, sad, or angry.

It's for survival - so we can protect ourselves and stay safe - and would've been useful when we were early humans.

That is why people find themselves thinking a plug socket looks a bit sad, or a tree's bark looks a little shocked.