30 Times People Found Weird Things And The Internet Helped Recognize Them

Have you ever stumbled upon something weird and unusual that made you scratch your head? Don’t worry – chances are people on the “What Is This Thing?” subreddit might help you out. From recognizing mystery currencies to solving crimes by identifying obscure car parts, nothing seems to be too much of a challenge for this community.

#1 Found A Rock On The Porch Of My New Home, Flipped It Over And Saw This. Is That A Fossil?

Image source: livefast_dieawesome

Answer: Yup, that’s a fossil. Tree trunk impression.

#2 I Found This Little Guy Under A Stair In A Parking Garage At The Mall. The Clothing Is Made Out Of Thread And His Hair Is Made By What Seems Like Glue Dipped Into Dirt. What Is This Thing?

Image source: Zbunny666

Answer: It is a worry doll. You tell your worries to it, and put it under your pillow at night. It’s supposed to take away your worries while you’re sleeping.

#3 What Is The Point Of Such A Device?

Image source: SkorGaming

Answer: USB charging condom. This way you can plug your phone into a random USB port and be sure that no data is exchanged. Only the power pins are passed through to the phone. Also called a sync stop.

#4 Found This White Fuzzy Thing In My Basement, Mother Freaked Out. What Is This Thing?

Image source: iDrinkOxygen

Answer: Spiders infected with fungus look like this.

#5 Grandmother Received This From Her Friend After His Death. Nobody At The Senior’s Center She Lives At Knows What It Is. What Is This Thing?

Image source: wetbutter

Answer: Opium pipe

#6 Found This In House I’m Tearing Apart In A Book Like Someone Wanted To Keep Them Don’t Think It’s Real Money

Image source: zangoku

Answer: Its money from the Philippines when it was occupied by Japan in 1941.

#7 Anyone Know What Those Round Impressions Are Called, And What Are They For ?

Image source: csaduck

Answer: Old windows were made of glass spun out into flatness. That’s the center of the spin.

New windows are made of glass floated on a pool of molten tin, which makes very flat panes without any annoying bullseyes.

#8 This Sticker On The Inside Cover Of A Second-Hand Bible. Pretty Sure It Depicts A Partridge And A Fig Tree, Both Of Which Have Biblical Connections But No Idea What It Means

Image source: alongyourfuselage

Answer: No Bush/Quail. 1992 election sticker.

#9 My Girlfriend Found These In Her Dinner? Are They Seeds?

Image source: GrandpaSquarepants

Answer: Pretty good picture of insect eggs.

#10 This Belonged To My Great Grandfather. What Is This Thing?

Image source: Reverend_Mikey

Answer: If it’s legit, that’s a really old Gibson, from between 1903 and 1933. It’s going to be worth more than you think, so be really careful with it. Seriously.

#11 Went Exploring In White Sands, New Mexico And Found An… Object. What Is This Thing?

Image source: xopethx

Answer: Looks like it could be titanium – titanium spheres of similar size are a relatively commonly found space debris

#12 I Found This Jammed In My Front Door Lock, It’s About 1.5” Long. What Is This Thing?

Image source: TheNinjaJedi

Answer: It’s a tension wrench from a lock pick set.

#13 These Were Free Roaming At A Zoo So Didn’t Have A Sign/Info On Them. Thought They Were Hares But Walkedon All Fours And Hand Quite Long Front A Back Legs. What Is This?

Image source: Dan1378

Answer: Patagonian Cavy.

#14 Researching Plantation Houses In The 1700’s. What Is The Thing Hanging From The Ceiling In This Dining Room?

Image source: Bbbodypaint

Answer: Very early ceiling fan. The rope at the top would be pulled to create the back and forth motion to fan the air and keep flies away from the table during a meal.

#15 What Are These Things And What Are They Doing?

Image source: Achilles_Of_Reddit

Answer: They’re European red slugs. And they’re doing it.

#16 Saw On My Flight To Cali. What Is This Thing?

Image source: ddIuTTuIbb

Answer: Specifically, this looks like Concentrated Thermal Solar. It uses mirrors to reflect the light to a central tower which is barely visible in your picture due to the glare coming off of it. The light is then converted to heat where it drives a steam turbine, or some other heat engine.

#17 Circular Object On Top Of Car. What Is This Thing?

Image source: AllAmericanHero28

Answer: Bubbl, It’s like an uber targeted toward kids or those with extra concerns around who the drivers are.

“Bubbl Investments, LLC was launched in August 2016 in the DFW area. It was founded by a group of Dallas-based individuals, including the former Dallas Deputy Chief of Police. Our rides are driven by off-duty or retired police officers who have been thoroughly vetted. All fleet and driver owned cars are regulated by the company. Bubbl accurately identified the need to provide a safe ride option especially for children, special need families, and seniors. ”

#18 Some Kind Of Explosive Lying On The Floor Of Server Room?

Image source: WhySoSadCZ

Answer: It’s a Sagger Missile A Russian MCLOS ATGM. Good luck w that bud.

#19 Bathroom Coat Hangers That Can Move Up Or Down. Why Would You Want Them Downward?

Image source: Jason_Whorehees

Answer: We call them anti-ligature. If the rest of the items in the room aren’t also anti-ligature (door knobs, door hinges, tp dispenser, etc) then it doesn’t make much sense to have it there. If everything else IS, then you’re in a room designed for individuals that are a suicide risk.

#20 My Sister Found This When Cleaning Out A Fish. This Was In The Mouth And There Was A Smaller One In The Stomach. Anyone Know What It Is?

Image source: oJHzgzUHu

Answer: Tongue eating parasite (cymothoa exigua). Truly harrowing.

Eats the fish’s tongue and then takes the place of the fish’s tongue.

#21 Car Part Found In Bicyclist Hit And Run Fatality Today

Image source: cordyceps-fungi

Answer: 1988 Chevy Silverado headlamp bezel.

People keep asking how I knew this….I’ve been a Maryland state inspector for a long time, and part of each car and truck inspection up until recently was a mandatory headlamp adjustment….If I had to guess, I’d say someone from the Hoppy brand headlamp aim checker company probably bribed some politicians a long, long time ago, which made it mandatory for each station to buy their equipment to perform inspections….Anyhow, I’ve done a shit-ton of headlamp adjustments, so right away I knew what that notch in the plastic was for….I first checked 1988 Ram 1500 trucks and by chance, there was a picture of a mid 80’s Chevy truck.

#22 I Saw This “Cloud” On My Way To Work Yesterday Morning, May 22nd, At 5 Am Est. Other Than This, The Sky Was Completely Clear. What Is This Thing?

Image source: TheRealDuHass

Answer: Rocket launch. I live near a launch complex. See this a lot.

#23 Heathrow Airport. Looks Like It Hasn’t Moved In Ages. What Is This Thing?

Image source: woodrowchillson

Answer: For fire training, for the airport fire brigade.

#24 Saw This Natural Phenomenon Near My Home. What Is This Thing?

Image source: varunpotter

Answer: Lenticular cloud.

#25 It Is Approx. 3 Meters Long And Open At The End. Found With Some Similar Looking Ones Scattered Around On A Hillside While Hiking. What Is This Thing?

Image source: Jakob_W_

Answer: This device is called Gazex and it’s used to start avalanches, so they can control when and where they happen. This avalanche control system uses specially constructedand “exploder” sites and tubes built at key locations in avalanche territory to set off avalanches at controlled times. The exploders literally detonate a mixture of oxygen and propane from the tube structures. The explosive force expelled from the tubes triggers avalanches. The explosive bursts are fueled by gas canisters stored in tanks beneath the exploders on the mountain.

#26 I Found This Thing In My Food. It Was Just Stuck To A Piece Of Meat; It Wasn’t Lodged Into It Or Anything. Anyone Know What It Is?

Image source: iamfase

Answer: Cattle/pig microchip for meat traceability.

#27 I Drive By This Every Day, What Is On Top Of This Car?

Image source: FrancisART

Answer: It’s a crane arm — for filming in movies… it’s how they filmed the Red Bull Kluge video.

#28 Dark Line On Earth Visible In The Spacex Falcon Heavy Stream. What Is This Thing?

Image source: readonlyred

Answer: It’s land. New Caledonia

#29 What Is This Black Stuff Appearing On The Walls Of My Hostel’s Bathroom? It’s Almost In Every Corner As Well

Image source: the_lonely-guy

Answer: Termite infestation.

#30 Found This Kayaking In The Mississippi River Yesterday, I Think It’s Some Kind Of Exact Fungus But I’ve Never Seen This In My Life. What Is This Thing?

Image source: Gmill3r28

Answer: Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) colony.