Optical illusion mermaid fish

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NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. Generally speaking, the left side of our brains are more verbal, analytical and orderly than the right side, and is better at things such as reading and writing. But surely nobody, absolutely NOBODY… sees a fish or a mermaid.

People bewildered by optical illusion claiming to show mermaid or fish: 'It's a donkey or a seal, surely?' 'What happens if you're seeing an adorable baby ...

According to Harvard Medical School’s health blog, it is also likely that the theory that individual personality traits reside in one area of the brain is a myth. “And if you did the same for 1,000 mathematicians and artists, it’s unlikely that any clear pattern of difference in brain structure would emerge.” In the study, the children were tasked with determining whether a similar line image depicted a donkey or a seal. “It’s a seal, thank you, so now I don’t have a brain or what?” one person jokingly commented, while another wrote on Twitter: “My brain is broken because I don’t know how anyone can see a fish or mermaid. And all I see is a damn horse.” It’s a donkey or a seal, surely??” they wrote, while another said: “First glance, donkey.

Internet users from around the world were left confused by the viral drawing, claiming their 'brains were broken' because image looked more like a seal or a ...

The popular 'mermaid or fish / donkey or seal' optical illusion has gone viral on TikTok, Twitter and stumped celebrities like JK Rowling – here's why.

But the mermaid or fish illusion appears to instead be derived from older ambiguous seal/donkey drawings and illusions, explaining why so many people are spotting these creatures in the illustration over a mermaid or fish. Instead, neuroscientists contend that the symmetrical hemispheres of our brains work together in a far more complex way than simply being dominated by the right or left side. Those who see a fish in the drawing and called ‘right-brained’ are said to be more creative, emotional and intuitive, whereas those who are allegedly ‘left-brained’ are said to be more logical, analytical and attentive to what’s going on in their own minds and internal, rather than externally and around them.

Piers Morgan and JK Rowling both weighed in on the very important matter, saying they saw a donkey.

While Stephen Fry said he saw a donkey first and then a seal, but not a fish or a mermaid. Cricketer Kevin Pietersen said he saw a kangaroo, which also popped up in the TikTok comments. People in the TikTok comments, as well as those posting on Twitter, said the image looked far more like a donkey’s head or a seal than a fish or mermaid.