Captions are meant to provide context to a photograph. However, some images evoke a strong sense of curiosity that even the corresponding texts cannot fully articulate.
Check out the ‘Finemelt’ Instagram page to see what I mean. While the descriptions provide a concise explanation, these snapshots still pique enough interest to make you wonder about a deeper backstory.
We’ve picked some photos that stood out to us, which you may find amusing, at the very least. Scroll through and maybe have Google ready in case you need more context.
#1 Farmers Put Earmuffs On Baby Cows During Winter To Protect Them From Chilling Frostbite
Apparently, it’s common for farmers to clothe their calves with specially designed earmuffs to protect their ears from frostbite. The newborn babes are more susceptible to the cold because of their age and size, so they need a little extra help to stay warm in the winter. And not only are the earmuffs incredibly practical, but they’re absolutely adorable as well.
Image credits: finemelt
#2 Handmade Marble Sculpture By Chauncey Bradley Ives Named “Undine, Rising From The Fountain” (1880 - 1882)
It’s a marble sculpture of a woman named Undine, as she reaches up towards heaven out of the waters to receive her immortal soul.
She is well proportioned and the fabric which she is draped appears to be wet since it clings so closely to her form. She holds the cloth above her head and as it drapes down from her hands to her head, the marble is sculpted so thin at this juncture, that translucent light can be seen through the carved marble.
Image credits: finemelt
#3 Tactical K9 Helmets Provides Cranial Protection For Dogs Working In Human Rescue Operations
The helmet design offers a stable platform for tactical gear such as cameras, lights, and communication electronics, as well as safety accessories such as detachable ear protection and muzzles.
Image credits: finemelt
The page has 175,000 followers and a little over 1,300 posts as of this posting. The profile caption is short and sweet: “An exploration of the past, present & future.” It is straightforward but also leaves a bit of ambiguity.
Many of these images feature humor, but most include facts you may (or may not) be learning about for the first time as you move down the list.
#4 Photographer Martin Le-May Captured This Photo Of A Weasel Riding On The Back Of A Green Woodpecker In Hornchurch, Essex (2015)
Image credits: finemelt
#5 Peyo The Stallion Often Visits Terminally Ill Patients At The Teaching Hospital In Calais France, He Chooses Which Patients To Visit By Knocking His Hoof Outside The Door
Scientists are studying Peyo's potential ability to detect cancer in humans and reduce a patient's anxiety.
Additional brain imaging research has indicated that aspects of Peyo's neurological activity may be unique from other horses.
Image credits: finemelt
#6 Saying Goodbye To A Species - The World’s Last Male Northern White Rhino, Passed Away In 2018
The northern white rhino which survived 55 million years and saw ice ages, earthquakes, meteor strikes and was testament to innumerable historical changes on the planet could not survive humans.
The two remaining northern white rhinos, Najin and Fatu, are guarded 24/7 due to the high value and rarity of their species. The guards protect them from poaching and to conserve them for breeding via IVF (in vitro Fertilization) for the species survival.
Image credits: finemelt
We spend an average of 143 minutes daily on social media, and a chunk of it is looking at photos or memes. Humans are innately visual beings. Our brains can process images in 13 milliseconds, which is likely why most people (65%) are visual learners.
#7 Photographer Scott Taylor Accidentally Captured An ‘Angry Bird’ In Real Life
The photographer was taking pictures of colorful birds at his parents’ backyard when he noticed a cardinal at the feeder, His camera captured a moment in which the cardinal’s wings are tucked tightly into its body, making the bird look like a fluffy red ball floating in midair.
Image credits: finemelt
#8 The Bagworm Moth Caterpillar Is An Exceptional Architect In The Animal Kingdom, They Build Their Houses And Carry It Along With Them Everywhere They Go
Their distinctive cocoons, which look like tiny log cabins, are built by the caterpillar as soon as it hatches using silk. For further protection, they strengthen the silk cocoon by collecting pieces of twigs, leaves, and other plant matter to create these well-camouflaged structures—known as cases.
Image credits: finemelt
#9 Butterflies Drink The Tears Of Turtles, Caimans, Alligators And Crocodiles As A Source Of Salt (Sodium) And Other Minerals As A Source Of Nutrition
These animals’ tears are not the only source of salts for butterflies; the insects also readily get salt from animal urine, muddy river banks, puddles, sweaty clothes and sweating people.
Image credits: finemelt
Our visually oriented brains are also likely why humans can recall over 2,000 photographs at least 90% accurately. This explains the effectiveness of infographics and why 60% of businesses have used them for sales and marketing purposes.
As Infographic World CEO Justin Beegel told Forbes, businesses, marketers, and communication professionals use visual storytelling. They’ve so far found success in connecting with their target audience “in more meaningful ways” than any other medium.
#10 The Body Structure Of A Beluga Whale Makes It Look Like It Has Legs
The outline of symmetrical bones protruding from their underbellies creates an illusion that probably baffled many sailors in the early days of nautical discovery. When these whales swim, their fat pads are often tensed in order to maintain balance, which causes them to protrude outward and resemble knees.
Image credits: finemelt
#11 Windows 10 Wallpaper Wasn’t Cgi. The Logo Was Physically Built And Photographed
Microsoft enlisted the help of creative director Bradley G. Munkowitz who assembled a team at a photography studio in San Francisco to shoot images showing the Windows logo created by shining a projector through a pane of glass. The crew used lasers, haze, projectors, flares, and a special camera mapping technique.
Image credits: finemelt
#12 This Is What A Flying Fish Look Like Up Close
They propel themselves out of water at speeds more than 56 km/h. Once in the air, their rigid “wings” allow them to glide for up to 200 meters. Their winglike pectoral fins are primarily for gliding.
Image credits: finemelt
Since a handful of these photos have random, fascinating facts, here are a few facts about kissing to stay with the theme. First, the average woman will have kissed around 15 men before finding “the one.”
Random fact number two: the average person will spend two weeks of their life kissing. That equates to a little more than 20,000 minutes.
#13 In 2020, An Italian Man Walked 450km To Cool Off After He Had An Argument With His Wife
Police spotted the 48-year-old man in Fano and stopped him because it was already 2 am and way past curfew. The man had already walked for a week after leaving his home in Como, which is in the north of Italy near the Swiss border.
“I came here on foot, I didn’t use any transport,” the man said. “Along the way, I met people who offered me food and drink. I’m OK, just a bit tired.”
He averaged 60 kilometers a day during his epic walk.
Image credits: finemelt
#14 The World’s Loneliest House, Situated On Ellidaey Island, A Remote Island South Of Iceland
Probably an introvert’s dream, this small island is part of Vestmannaeyjar, an archipelago of 15 to 18 islands. Today, the island is deserted, but it was once inhabited by five families The Five families who lived there relied on fishing, hunting puffins, and raising cattle. By the 1930s, however, the last remaining residents had left the island for good, and it’s been unpopulated ever since.
Image credits: finemelt
#15 Rabbits Fighting Midair Captured By Photographers Takayuki And Mora Nakamura, Who Live In Kumamoto, On The Island Of Kyushu,japan
The professional photographers known as uta on X app, expertly captured a series of photographs that feature an epic rabbit battle. They compared the moment to a scene right out of the popular fighting anime and manga series.
The pictures show the two bunnies suspended midair as they execute aerial punches, kicks, and flips against their opponents. From the looks of the exchange, one rabbit seems to emerge the clear victor after landing what appears to have been an impressive side kick. And the snapshots couldn’t have been more perfectly timed to immortalize the energetic exchange.
Image credits: finemelt
#16 In 2008, Frank Bourassa, A Car Mechanic, Decided He Would Single-Handedly Make His Own Money Instead Of Working For It
He dedicated the next year and a half to learning how to manufacture American bills, by himself.
He was able source the paper from a German paper company, and initially told them he wanted to print bonds, but gradually asked for small modifications to the design until he had Andrew Jackson’s face and a small security strip reading “USA TWENTY”. The company complied and he received the custom bills, set up a print shop (location still unknown), and printed $250 million dollars himself.
Frank sold $50 million worth of his bills, got busted, and got let off with no jail time by surrendering the remaining $200 million counterfeit bills. He remains one of the greatest counterfeiters of all time
Image credits: finemelt
We would also like to hear from you, readers. Do you have any random facts and photos to share? Which of these drew the most curiosity for you? Comment below!
#17 Bears On Cr*ck Is The Term Given To Bears That Invade People’s Home In Florida And Yes, Bears Are Known To Be “Chill”
Bears are normally shy, retiring animals that have very little desire to interact with humans. Unless they are forced to be around humans to be near a food source, they usually choose to avoid us. They are also solitary by nature preferring to live alone and only interact for breeding.
Image credits: finemelt
#18 Penguins’ Mouths Contain Pronounced Growths Called Papillae Which Look Like Sharp Spines
These spines cover the tongue and base, and roof of the mouth. They’re made from relatively soft keratin - the same structure that makes up human nails and hair - and they aren’t especially sharp. The papillae help grip food and direct it into the mouth.
Image credits: finemelt
#19 This Razer Gaming Headset Saved The Life Of 18-Year-Old Gamer Jonathan Gonzalez By Stopping A Stray Bullet That Came Through His Window While He Was Gaming
Razer sent Gonzalez a brand new headset after learning of the incident. (2022).
Image credits: finemelt
#20 “Too Much Love” - A Photoseries By Katja Kemnitz That Shows How Kids Overuse Toys
The series features combined images of the toys when new and after being loved and used.
This excellent series by the German photographer @katjakemnitz, who inspired by her daughter, decided to document the lives of children’s plushies by photographing them before and after dozens of hours of hugs, kisses, wear and tear.
Image credits: finemelt
#21 The Gap Between Usain Bolt And Other Runners When He Broke The World Record For 100m With A Record Time Of 9.69 At The Beijing Olympics In 2008
He even slowed down and celebrated before crossing the finish line. The win saw various scientists trying to predict his time had he run full throttle all the way to the finish line.
Image credits: finemelt
#22 3000-Year-Old Perfectly Preserved Sword Recently Dug Up In Germany (June 2023)
3000-year-old perfectly preserved sword recently dug up in Germany (june 2023)
One of the greatest finds in recent archeology. Found while excavating a gravesite in the southern bavarian town of nördlingen. the weapon barely shows its age. it has remained so well-preserved that it "almost still shines."
Image credits: finemelt
#23 In Shandong China, A Mentally Challenged Farmer Built This 7-Story Building With His Bare Hands With The Aim Of Having Him And His Deceased Brothers Live Together, Despite Being Told Repeatedly By Villagers His Brothers Had Long Passed Away
He spent 10 years building the house.
The building was constructed by Chinese farmer Hu Guangzhou, 55, to house his brothers, whom – if the villagers’ reports are to be believed – passed away a decade ago. Hu allegedly insists his brothers are still alive and will one day return to live in the home.
Crafted from a resourceful mixture of wood, stones, bricks and clay, the home has taken 10 years to construct and now stands at a staggering seven floors.
Image credits: finemelt
#24 A Farmer Spraying Milk At Police During The Protest Against The Declining Price Of Milk Outside EU Headquarters (2009)
Image credits: finemelt
#25 Engraved Zippo Lighters Carried By American Soldiers In Vietnam In World War II
In World War II, the Zippo was the soldier’s friend, providing dependability for fire whether lighting a cigarette or explosives.
During the Vietnam War, the Zippo served the same utilitarian purpose, but was often personalized for soldiers by local street vendors in villages. GI’s could choose from any number of preset graphics and words, or they could design or write their own.
Image credits: finemelt
#26 Striped Mackerel Are Filter Feeders Opening Their Cavernous Mouths As They Swim And Sieving Zooplankton From The Water With Their Gill Rakers Acting Like A Net
Image credits: finemelt
#27 A University Of Waterloo Engineering Student’s 1st Year Versus 2nd Year ID
Image credits: finemelt
#28 A Tiger’s Tongue Is So Coarse, It Can Lick Flesh Down To The Bone
A tiger’s tongue has small, sharp, thorn-like protuberances called “papillae”. Papillae are small, hard, hooked bumps that cover the entire tongue of the tiger. These papillae make the tongue so rugged and rough, if a tiger licks you a couple of times, it may scrape off your skin and lead to bleeding. It also helps tigers to tear the flesh and feathers off their prey’s body. Also, the more a tiger rolls up its tongue, the sharper is the lick.
Image credits: finemelt
#29 This Is What The Bottom (Underside) Of A Sawfish Looks Like
The underside of sawfish contain nostrils, gills, and a mouth housing thousands of dome shaped teeth which are used to crush the small species of fish and crabs they prey on
Image credits: finemelt
#30 Olympic Divers’ Faces Before Hitting Water
Image credits: finemelt
