MOST people don’t look at maps anymore unless it’s on their smartphone, but there are some hidden gems you might miss.
Mapmakers do not go outside to create their works, often relying on others to research the area for them – such as photographers and other experts.
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Map makers have hidden animals in these images – can you spot them? Credit: Hawaiianislands.com // Mikael Asikainen
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The Florida panther was once a wild creature, but is now endangered due to hunting Credit: Getty
But this often leads to fun easter eggs hidden in the lines and shapes that make the cards useful.
Mapmakers at the Swiss Federal Office of Topography, also known as Swisstopo, are known for adding these secret drawings.
They had to skilfully cover up the images to avoid being caught by their employers because it “implies that the cartographer has openly breached his duty of accuracy, risking professional consequences for an alpine rodent,” according to Eye On Design.
The team at HawaiianIslands.com followed in their footsteps, this time adding drawings of endangered North American animals in their home regions.
Here, US Sun has five cards with hidden creatures inside – can you spot the endangered animal?
The Florida panther was once a fearsome creature that even received a bounty on its head in 1832 for posing a threat to livestock.
However, by the 1970s, the animal was nearly extinct due to hunting with numbers of only 20 or 30.
Inbreeding and genetic mutations led to the panther’s distinctive crooked tail and slicked-back fur.
Can you spot the creature?
If not, look at the center of the picture, then lower your eyes and you’ll soon see the unmistakable outline of a wild panther.
If you managed to solve it, maybe you can try to find the red wolf.
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The red wolf has struck fear into the hearts of many, but the animal is actually quite shy Credit: Hawaiianislands.com // Mikael Asikainen
Approximately 267 animals are kept in Rescue Animals from Extinction (SAFE) facilities, making it rare to find one in the wild.
Wild red wolves only call the Albemarle Peninsula in North Carolina home, however, they once went as far as southeastern Texas to central Pennsylvania.
Known for their beautiful cinnamon color, wolves have been killed for centuries mostly out of fear and superstition.
Wolves were considered villains by many settlers, but red wolves are actually quite shy and unlikely to antagonize humans.
Have you seen a wolf? Try looking at Swan Creek Lake on a map.
If you pay attention, you will find the outline of a wolf’s head.
The California condor is hard to miss if you spot it in the sky, but the chances are pretty slim.
As the largest flying bird in North America, it has a wingspan the length of a kayak.
Because of this, some people have confused it with the thunderbird from Native American mythology.
At one point in the 1980s, there were only 22 California condors left in the wild.
The birds were hunted or had their eggs stolen or were poisoned by traps set by other creatures.
Lead ammunition was banned in California in 2013 to protect birds.
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California condors have one of the largest wingspans and are mistaken for mythical birds Credit: Hawaiianislands.com // Mikael Asikainen
In the image, you can spot the elusive bird near the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the lower center of the image.
The fourth animal is the black-footed ferret, a relative of the weasel, badger and mink.
The black-footed ferret is the only native ferret in America.
With a black face mask, feet, tip of tail and brown and white fur, the animal is hard to spot in the prairie it calls home.
However, the destruction of the native land and the ferret’s favorite animal – the prairie dog – made life difficult for the blackfoot.
In the late 1800s there were as many as one million black-footed ferrets, but by the 1950s they were thought to be extinct.
Today there are about 370 of them in the wild.
An annoying ferret is near the center of the image just below the text that reads “Shirley Basin”.
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Black-footed ferrets are the only native ferrets in America Credit: Hawaiianislands.com // Mikael Asikainen
The last animal is the Loggerhead sea turtle, which lived on Earth for the last 100 million years.
They are found in several areas around the world, but the North Pacific population is considered endangered and the international population is declining.
The creatures are recognizable by their large heads, powerful jaws and reddish-brown heart-shaped shells.
Female platypuses can travel thousands of miles to lay their eggs on the same beach where they were hatched, using the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate.
However, eggs are usually collected by humans.
Turtles are also caught or damaged by fishing gear, and are also affected by pollution, habitat loss and ship strikes.
At the bottom of the image you can find the outline of a turtle near Malkintooh Creek.
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Loggerhead turtles have lived on Earth for 100 million years Credit: Hawaiianislands.com // Mikael Asikainen
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education