Reddit | chakalakasp

15+ Comparison Pics That Give Us A Bit Of Perspective

The internet isn't very good at context. Often, we're given a pic of something with a blurb that's supposed to explain it, but without the wider view, it's hard to know what's actually going on.

It's part of why it's become a thing on Reddit to use a banana for scale when sharing something. The other part of why is because bananas are funny.

Comparison pics are neat because they are the fact and the context all rolled into one.

Elephant Foot vs. Human Foot

Reddit | HoggyOfAustralia

You wouldn't look at an elephant's loafers and think they have anything in common with our human feet, but a cross-section makes it clear that we're more alike than we seem.

Human Skeleton vs. Gorilla Skeleton

Reddit | Sapientiam

Similarly, the human skeleton isn't that different than that of our ape cousins. That rib cage is pretty crazy, huh? It's also neat to see how much more hand-like the gorilla's feet are.

13 Years Old vs. 13 Years Old

Reddit | elleynads

These two friends may be the same age, but their height difference is incredible. Clearly the one friend has hit his growth spurt a much earlier than the other.

Pluto vs. Australia

Reddit | Nallyyyy

While I still feel sad for Pluto getting demoted, it's hard to argue with the logic that it can't be a planet when it's barely as big as Australia.

Sure, it has more surface area, being round and all, but still, there are asteroids bigger than it is.

Summer vs. Winter

Reddit | [deleted]

This sign for the ski slopes makes is super obvious just how much snow falls in the area. In the summer, you may wonder why the sign is installed so high, but that's clearly just planning ahead.

Titanic vs. Modern Cruise Ship

Reddit | wearecominginhot

The Titanic was massive, but there are people out there who don't realize that it was only big "for its time." Since then, we've built boats way, way bigger.

First Gas Mask vs. Modern One

Reddit | Gasmask_Boy

While the old school one has a vintage flavor that I appreciate, I think we can all agree that we'd choose the modern tech over a hose with a tin can on the end.

Maine Coon vs. American Short Hair

Reddit | DefinitelyAverage

We're told that Maine Coons are big cats, and we even marvel at pics of them being held by seemingly-tiny humans, but the true context is seeing it lounging next to a classic tabby.

Real Dog vs. Embroidery

Reddit | Florally

It seriously took me a moment to figure out where the transition between the two images is. The piece is by the artist Stitching Sabbatical.

Crouzon Syndrome Reconstruction Before vs. After

Reddit | mossberg91

Crouzon Syndrome is a disorder where some bones of the skull fuse too early, preventing the skull from growing properly. This causes facial deformities that are intense to correct, but the results are incredible.

Computer Storage Then vs. Now

Reddit | Kolafie

In the first pic is a huge magnetic disk from a 10 megabyte hard drive in the 1970s. The second is a modern memory card that holds 1 terabyte. It's so much smaller, but holds 100,000 times the data.

World's Smallest Computer vs. A Grain Of Rice

Reddit | elee0228

World's smallest computer compared to a grain of rice. Built by the University of Michigan, the 0.3mm device can detect changes in temperature in things as small as human cells, which can be useful in medical applications.

Summer vs. Fall

Imgur

These pics were taken 11 weeks apart and the tree has gone from basic to fabulous. Frankly that whole autumn pic is just perfection to me. Perfect fall weather.

Velociraptor Skull vs. T-Rex Tooth

Reddit | callme-dino

This is a good example of how our understanding of dinosaurs has changed in the last 25 years. When Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park, raptors were all still believed to be of the larger, lizard-y variety.

But now, we know that velociraptors were actually feathered killing machines about the size of a turkey. The ones in the movies are closer to what is now called a Utahraptor.

Tornado vs. Wind Turbine

Reddit | chakalakasp

If you've ever been up close to a wind turbine, you know that they are huge, but this pic show just how tiny they are when faced with Mother Nature.

The Arctic Then vs. Now

Reddit | Jaredrap

I've seen the top pic described as 102, 103, or 104 years ago, but whichever is correct, you can clearly see how much of the glacier has disappeared in the last century.

Skinny Cats vs. Fat Cat

Reddit | [deleted]

This one's just kind of cute and funny. The photographer explained that they have two skinny cats and one that's overweight. This is the result of them getting outside on fresh snow.

Lethal Dose Heroin vs. Fentanyl

Reddit | Milkshaketurtle79

The opioid crisis is showing no signs of slowing down, but it can be hard to understand just why fentanyl is so much worse than a more familiar drug like heroin.

This is why.

I-10 East of Houston Before And After Harvey

Reddit | rooseveltsmustache

Numbers and statistics can never truly do justice to the extent of a disaster, but this picture is worth a thousand platitudes.

B737 vs. A380

Reddit | AnonymousNaglis

I know that air traffic control knows what they're doing and this is a safe situation, but that little plane looks like shark food compared to the big one looming behind it.

Clean Water vs. Water Used To Clean A Mouse Pad

Reddit | McPresh

Be honest: how often has it even occurred to you to clean your mouse pad? Never? Well, this is why you should.

Picard Then vs. Picard Now

Reddit | penguin343

Sir Patrick Stewart doesn't age. Like, are they going to have to use make-up in the new streaming show so that we'll believe that the character of Jean-Luc Picard is actually older?

Human vs. Giant Eagle Statue

Reddit | keeperofthrones

This can be found at the Jatayu Earth Center, India and depicts the eagle as it fell onto the mountain top during a fight with the Hindu demon king Ravana.

Oil Painting vs. After 5 Months Of Practice

Reddit | american463

This is why the idea that if you weren't born with a talent, then you can't do the thing. If you want to paint, paint, and then paint some more.

Arrival vs. Departure

Reddit | Poached_Polyps

I have two dogs and I can confirm that this is true for them too. Clearly, I should just never leave the house and always be available for snuggles.

Tanned Hand vs. Foot

Reddit | MadoneXI

The person these belong to is a soldier and they explained that this was taken after a day in the desert sun with heavy, sweaty combat boots. So the pale, sickly look is more pronounced than usual.

The foot is me year-round.

The Santa Maria vs. The Ship Of Chinese Explorer Zheng He

Imgur | pumpychowdown

Columbus made his famous voyage in the same era that Zheng He was sailing, but the difference in ship size is incredible. Of course, the story goes that Spain didn't want to give Columbus their best ships anyway.

Great White Shark vs. Ancient Megalodon

Reddit | drsleep007

If you thought that cheesy movies like The Meg were exaggerating the size of the extinct predator, here's your proof. They were terrifying.

Wisdom Teeth vs. Baby Teeth

Reddit | rewindturtle

Things like this make me glad that I never developed wisdom teeth. Of course, I also still have a couple of baby teeth in my 30s, so it's a trade off.

Fresh Paint vs. Wear And Tear

Imgur | ComradeCaihelM

Eight years is actually a pretty good lifespan for road paint. Though, if the speed limit is no longer visible, is it enforceable?

CAT 797F vs. School Bus

Reddit | YogiHD

That is one big dump truck. Fun fact: its milage is 0.3 miles per gallon. That sounds ridiculously inefficient, but when fully loaded, it's actually cheaper than a hundred smaller trucks carrying the same materials.

Inside vs. Outside On An Oceanside Door Knob

Reddit | mariobros237

That's a lot of salt in the air. It's really corrosive, so that knob must need to be replaced unusually often.

Thumb vs. Hummingbird Nest

Reddit | CrackedChassis

So tiny! The only reason they even noticed it was that the tree is by a window and they could watch the mama bird bring her babies food.

Human vs. Sequoia

Reddit | lhippocampe

We all know that these ancient trees are massive, but when you can't see them in person it's hard to imagine. That's why these comparison pics are so cool.

Shark Brain vs. Dolphin Brain

Reddit | PaviliaBay

If it's true that the size of the brain is a sign of higher intelligence, then dolphins are clearly geniuses. It looks so much like a human brain!

Stairs Built In 1829 vs. 2005

Reddit | Jack_Enoff

Presumably, new stairs were added to improve the flow of pedestrian traffic.

But if you told me that it simply took 176 years for the city to finish an infrastructure project, I'd believe you.

Notre Dame Before vs. After The 2019 Fire

Imgur | annymalla

The roof and tower may be gone, but the old girl is still standing. I'm sure she'll bounce back better than before.

Cancer Patient vs. Cancer Survivor

Batson Children's hospital

This is one of those one's that not only incredibly interesting, but truly inspiring.

Barcelona In Daylight vs. At Night

HDphoto

Both of these look eerily like a video game, but the second one is giving me serious circuit board vibes.

Sparkling Water vs. Tap Water

Reddit | menix

"You can see the difference between the tap water and the sparkling water that I poured over it," this person writes.

Right-Handed vs. Left-Handed Kids At School

Reddit | haze_rod

This is honestly wild. Also, let's skip the part where we do a comparison of germs.

Mother vs. Daughter

Reddit | Hazjohn

This one's fascinating but also really creepy in a way. Genes are wild man.

Big Mac In The 1970's vs. 1990's

Reddit | starstarstar42

Well okay then, guess it's time to riot.

New vs. Old Water Filter

Reddit | Thank_Mimes

"Three months of city water through my water filter cartridge," this person writes, "New one on the left for comparison."

Fallen Leaf vs. Decomposed Leaf

Reddit | Sunshine_SuperWoman

"Found a leaf in the final stage of decomposition on my run this morning," this guy writes.

2018 Smartphone vs. 1998 Cell Phone

Reddit | jakecc_ 7

Remember when we actually used our phones almost exclusively to actually call people? I make so few calls these days that I don't even have the call app on my home screen.

Open vs. Closed

Reddit | face-on-the-head

The gates to this foot path only open on one side, so it's the only one that receives any foot traffic. It's easy to tell which is which.

Smoker vs. Non-Smoker

Reddit | Nevermind73

It's amazing what years of smoking can do to a home. If that's what the blinds look like, imagine the walls inside.

The former owners of my parents' house smoked in the bathroom, and the walls used to sweat yellow after a hot shower.

Shaq and Simone.

Instagram | @simonebiles

Shaquille O'Neal is a famously large man, and next to champion gymnast Simone Biles, who stands 4'8", he appears to be an absolute giant.

Shaq and Robert Wadlow.

Reddit | timshweaty

Few people could make Shaq look small, but the tallest man ever to live does it. Robert Wadlow stood an incredible 8'11", which towers over Shaq's 7'1" frame.

Big shoes to fill.

Reddit | xAdamsRLx

On the left is an already-large shoe, a size 12. On the right, that's a size 20. Shaq, for the record, sports size 22s on his feet.

Is this the world's smallest bottle of Scotch?

Reddit | RonTheDonBergundee

If not, it has to be in the running, right? I'm sure its flavor is much larger than the bottle would suggest, for what that's worth.

Modern cruise ships vs. WWII aircraft carrier.

Reddit | hayaimonogachi

Yes, that ship on the left is an aircraft carrier. It just goes to show how far both cruise ships and carriers have come since WWII.

You can buy fruit that looks like tiny watermelons.

Reddit | Kliffypoo

As this image illustrates, cucamelons are no larger than grapes, and apparently they taste like sour cucumbers.

This really gives you an idea of how you can lose muscle tone.

Reddit | AlkalineCosmos

The leg on the left was injured and had to stay in a cast for three months. The leg on the right got regular exercise.

Jabbers.

Reddit | to_the_tenth_power

If you think getting a needle is no fun, check out some of nature's needles next to one: from left to right, this is a hypodermic needle, a viper's fang, a spider's fang, and a scorpion's stinger.

Don't miss the bell.

Reddit | P2POd

As the doorbell button shows, this is one tiny, tiny frog. A wayward finger would spell its doom.

Here you can see everything that goes inside a Dutch police car.

Reddit | wineddinedand69ed

It doesn't look like it will all fit, does it? But yes, everything that's on the ground goes in the car.

Babybel and Babybel Grande.

Reddit | britishbrick

Where else but France would you be able to find a giant, hand-sized Babybel?