I Hope This Was Pareidolia!

A few years back I was traveling through the San Luis Valley (a place of historically high strangeness) alone and stopped to snap a pic of the aspens at sunset. Today, while browsing through old pics, I got some sudden impulse to zoom in and study this one a bit more. (Very odd-why that impulse? I did not notice any darker area before zooming in.
There's a shadow a bit left of center lurking under some scrawny pines. It's almost funny (because of old classic horror) what I see: an evil werewolf that is wearing a human skull.
Either that or a bear, or wolf, or is it just shadows?
(PS mostly joking here. But that thing looks angry and evil when zoomed in)
I need a second opinion.
Right after I'd snapped this pic I turned my back on this dark thing and took several other pictures.



So, friends, what do you see?

Amazing what I might have missed when it came to danger around

More information about the San Luis Valley (pretty gruesome historic descriptions here, just fyi):
www.ourstrangeplanet.com...

a reply to: zosimov

I'm guessing parieodolia, as the logical answer. But for the fun more exciting possibilities I see a werewolf/dogman type creature. Buff too! like he's been throwing some logs around lol. Do you remember having any strange feelings at all? Like something following you/the creeps/spidey senses tingling? Or was it just normal? I snapped a pic on a walk cause I thought it was pretty. Upon looking at it later there was a green orb in the ditch (that I didn't see when taking the pic, also went back again to make sure there wasn't a reflector or anything that could've made the orb), when I zoomed in a swear there were groups of little faces (thinking like fae/gnomes types) I still don't know if it was parieodolia or what. But I didn't get any weird feelings, I have in the past on that trail before, but just chalked it up to me being overly paranoid/cautious).

a reply to: cocnutcrab883

Sounds like a very cool picture you got

It was just an ordinary (but beautiful) night from my end. It does make me think. Maybe I'll give a more careful scan of my surroundings from here on out. Or maybe I did and that's just a shadow, lol.

I agree with you that it's most likely pareidolia.

a reply to: zosimov

I think I see what you are talking about.
It almost looks like a dog, I see the face but I don’t think it looks like a skull face.

a reply to: RazorV66

When I zoom into the original pic, there's a skull-like shape on that thing's left shoulder (right side on image). If anything is likely pareidolia in this picture, it's probably that. Also hard to see on this image, as I had to resize to upload.

a reply to: zosimov



I circled where I think you are talking about.

Is that the spot?

a reply to: RazorV66

That's it!

originally posted by: zosimov
a reply to: RazorV66

That's it!

Yeah to me it looks like a dog, a Pitbull type dog with black on the right side of his face and a lighter color on the left.
2 eyes and a nose and the right ear.

originally posted by: RazorV66
a reply to: zosimov

I circled where I think you are talking about.

Is that the spot?

Thank you! I finally see it now. Looks like the face of a black bear to me.

I also see the skull on the shoulder.

a reply to: KKLOCO

I think you're right--it really does look like a black bear. I thought I saw more wolf-like features, but it really does look like the images I'm pulling up for black bear.

originally posted by: zosimov
a reply to: KKLOCO

I think you're right--it really does look like a black bear. I thought I saw more wolf-like features, but it really does look like the images I'm pulling up for black bear.

I think you would have noticed a black bear standing on its hind legs with a skull on its shoulder - when you were there in person 😆

Maybe the ghost of a bear. Many accounts of animals being ghosts. It’s not exclusive to humans.

Thanks for the thread. You have a PM.

Check this out. Almost a perfect replica in the pic in the link. Sorry, I can’t post pics.

www.fws.gov...

Im on a 50" monitor. I saved the pic and blew it up 417%. You have a very large black bear watching you. The head is exactly what they look like.He has his mouth open too. We have bears and lions here, but Ive never seen a large adult Black bear. I saw a cinnamon bear at Carson pass

I can see both, the black bear or the werewolf thing.
I see a lighter blob but it doesn't look like a skull.
This is actually good fun.
However in all honesty, I have to go with pareidolia.
Because I see allsorts in this picture if you keep looking.

And neither the bear nor the werewolf are perfect despite being pretty cool.

I once saw the ash from my ciggie looking exactly and I mean absolutely perfectly like a skull with horns.
That was cool but no camera or phones back then.

Sometimes things do look like other things.

Love the picture.

Really cool picture.

It is a growth/knot hole on the larger tree that appears behind it. The "shoulder" skull area is just leaves. However, that area makes an interesting face by itself. If you use the "skull" as a snout; complete with glowing eyes.

If you cover the left half of the bear's face, you see the right side is clearly attached to the tree, and is a knotty opening in it.


With that said, I wish you had noticed it, because it appears to have formed the shape of a bears head. I wonder if it is that clear up close. I once saw a very defined pig's head in a large cypress tree knot hole. I called it The Satan Tree.

The "head" is a little too big, but maybe it's a hollow tree and small bear was peeping out of it?

a reply to: zosimov

it could be a wolf, but i'm leaning more towards a bear. for the simple fact the height of it's head. i know wolves can get big but not that big.




side note, when walking in the woods always pay real close attention when in bear country.

Well now I'm more confused than ever.. Kidding.I appreciate all the input; interesting comments!

Cheers!!

a reply to: zosimov

I saw a completely different pareidolia.

I saw the hefty bag looking one, but I was queued in looking for facial structure, so I found a tree trunk person some how.

originally posted by: visitedbythem
Im on a 50" monitor. I saved the pic and blew it up 417%. You have a very large black bear watching you. The head is exactly what they look like.He has his mouth open too. We have bears and lions here, but Ive never seen a large adult Black bear. I saw a cinnamon bear at Carson pass

Lots of dry twigs on the ground, you'd think OP would have heard something that size walking around.

SPAM

a reply to: zosimov

Hey Z.

It seems to be part of the tree that has fallen to the side and I would guess the lack of focus in that specific spot is quite possibly a combination of shadows from two branches becoming entangled.

There's still a lot of clarity further behind that spot in other parts of the photograph.

Looking at the picture without zooming in that spot has the same angle as another branch just above it.

The fallen tree is somehow supported at that angle.


Either that or Kung Fu panda with blackface.