A dad who was taking some wildlife snaps at a nature reserve was stunned after seeming to capture a ‘pterodactyl’ on camera.
It was taken by animal snapper, Paul Squires, at a nature reserve, and no, it wasn’t called ‘Jurassic Park’. It was Spade Oak Nature Reserve in Buckinghamshire.
He was out there to see if he could snap some of the many varieties of wildlife that live in the area, but ended up getting something that he hadn’t counted on.
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Sadly, it wasn’t an extinct flying lizard that he actually took a photo of, but once you see the picture, it takes a minute to realise what it actually is. It really does look like a dinosaur, right?
The shape of the wings, coupled with what appears to be the famous head of the pterodactyl, you can see where his confusion came from.
Whilst photographing the red kites in the area, the 52-year-old accidentally captured one from such an angle that it looked like a pterodactyl.
He’d thought very little of it, before spotting the picture lurking in the camera roll later on.
It’s actually an optical illusion, with the back of the red kite looking like the head of the ‘pterodactyl’.
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After he shared the shot on Facebook, thousands of people liked, shared, and commented on his post.
Paul explained: "I was out and about with my camera, there are loads of kites in this area, I love taking pictures of wildlife.
“When I was flicking through my pictures the other day I thought 'what the hell is that? That looks like a dinosaur flying'.
“Why have I got a pterodactyl in my photos?'
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"I took another look and then realised it was a red kite.
“I knew I hadn't had a Jurassic encounter and that it was an optical illusion.
“Within seconds I realised what it was - that it was a red kite's tail.
"But if you look at it quickly you do see the pterodactyl."
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Since sharing it on Facebook, he’s been enjoying the jokes and feedback on his work.
"Most people did enjoy it,” he said.
“It's the most like[s] I've had on a photo I've shared.
“I've never captured an optical illusion like this before, I'm really pleased I caught it at the right time.
"I just love being out among the wildlife, in nature, it's peaceful, quiet and it puts your mind at rest from busy everyday life and it's great to capture those memories."
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One comment read: "Wonderful capture.... this must've been a warp in the space-time continuum!!"
Another – referencing Jurassic Park - said: "Wow!!!! So that’s where they flew to after leaving the island."
A third wrote: "Had to look a few times before I could make out what it was."
Topics: UK News, Weird, Animals, Jurassic Park
Tom Wood