We all have a strong survival instinct, one that kicks in the moment that we sense danger. For some of us, our ‘fight or flight’ mode can be a little too sensitive to perceived threats, and we end up scaring the hell out of ourselves for no particular reason.

But hey, better safe than sorry, am I right?

This list, compiled by Bored Panda, is a series of times when people’s hearts skipped several beats because of optical illusions, coincidences or just simple misunderstandings. From ghostly apparitions that turned out to be the delivery guy, to a seemingly sawn-in-half dog, you’re sure to sympathize with the people who took these terrifying pics!

Scroll down below to check them out for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!

#1 Wife Left The Gloves To Dry, I Almost Had A Heart Attack

Image credits: RoninGR

#2 Had To Look Twice

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#3 So Last Night I Was Positive There Was A Ghost Baby In The Bed With My Son

I was so freaked out, I barely slept. I even tried creeping in there with a flashlight while my son was sleeping. Well, this morning I go to investigate a bit further. It turns out my husband just forgot to put the mattress protector on when he changed the sheets. I could kill him.

Image credits: Maritza Elizabeth

#4 Scared The Hell Out Of Me When He Moved

Image credits: Nundee

#5 Whoever Did This Gave Me A Heart Attack

Image credits: JamesPKP

#6 Gives Me A Heart Attack Every Time, But He Loves To Sleep Like That!

Image credits: morisaboo

#7 This Freaked Me Out. Turns Out It’s A Sunset Reflection

Image credits: PeteLX

#8 Cat Gave Me A Scare This Morning. It’s Paprika

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#9 My Dog Is Trying To Scare The Hell Out Of Me

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#10 Housemate Was Drying His Fishing Waders. Almost Had To Add The Pants I Was Wearing To The Laundry Pile I Was Carrying After I Opened The Door

Image credits: jabrah15

#11 These Bacon Slices Look Like An Evil Clown…

Image credits: jtronicustard

#12 Ancient Whale Bone Over Top Of What Used To Be A Well

Image credits: jahaight

#13 I Bought My Wife (Who’s A Professional Photographer) A Thermos In The Shape Of A Camera Lens. It Always Gives Me A Mini Heart Attack When I See It Like This

Image credits: Tryenamy

#14 The Snail In Our Office Fish Tank Freaked Me Out Today

Image credits: Tyranitard

#15 Emergency Light In The Hallway Scared The Hell Out Of Me Earlier. Meet The New Source Of My Nightmares

Image credits: Tezariah

#16 My Aunt Got Her Dog Groomed. The Groomer Only Has Half Of His Right Arm. It Looks Like He’s Elbow Deep Into The Dog, And It Freaked Me Out When I First Saw The Picture

Image credits: BaByJeZuZ012

#17 That Spooked The Hell Out Of Me

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#18 Scared The Hell Out Of Myself

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#19 When You Walk In Your Room And Have A Mild Heart Attack

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#20 I Put My Son In A Halloween Onesie Without Thinking Much About It And Gave Myself A Heart Attack At 2AM

Image credits: LadyJane17

#21 Son Woke Us Up Around 3 AM To Tell Us Some Guy Was On Our Porch With A Stick

After almost dying of a heart attack, we realized it was the paper delivery guy. With a branch. Trying to retrieve a mis-thrown paper from our roof while looking [friggin] terrifying.

Image credits: thebeesremain

#22 This Ultrasound Photo Scared My Husband

Image credits: squidills

#23 Nearly Gave Me A Heart Attack Upon First Glance

Image credits: SJT29

#24 Sister Just Freaked Out, She Thought Someone Was In Her Flat. It Was Just Some Clothes Hanging Up In Front Of The Window

Image credits: AndyWyant

#25 Turned On A Light In The Basement Of An Old House And Freaked Out For A Second

Image credits: reddit.com

#26 Almost Gave Me A Heart Attack

Image credits: ladgertha

#27 This Scared The Hell Out Of Me

Image credits: DavidReilly

#28 My Spiderman Ps4 Pro Scared Me When The Sun Reflected A Shadow Of A Spider

Image credits: epiccodtion

#29 I Didn’t Realize My Wife Left The Kids’ Presents In The Car Until I Checked The Rear View Mirror

Image credits: Apatharas

#30 Thomas The Tank Engine Kidnapped? Good, That [Bastard] Scared The S**t Out Of Me The Other Night

Image credits: wait_huh

#31 My Cousin Woke Up In The Middle Of The Night, Randomly Looked At The Baby Monitor And Saw This. She Said It Scared The Hell Out Of Her

Image credits: jcmcna0733

#32 So I Work At UPS And I Had A Mild Heart Attack When I Saw This Box

Image credits: Sms4001

#33 My Wife Had A Mini Heart Attack As We Drove Past This House. Nobody Lives There

Image credits: Its_Obvi_PShopped

#34 Someone Spilled Their Smoothie In Class, And Now It Looks Like A Crime Scene

Image credits: Danielmg

#35 My Grandma Taking A Nap. Scared The Hell Out Of Me At First

Image credits: joeltrane

#36 The Arrangement Of Hats On My Cousin’s Coat Rack Scared Me Half To Death

Image credits: Ronnisofonni

#37 I Was Looking Up References Of Broken Glass, And I Accidently Scared The Hell Out Of My Boss

Image credits: idothingssometimes

#38 I Had A Mini Heart Attack When I Saw This. Spotted In NYC

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#39 I Walked Into The Staff Locker Room When The Lights Were Off, Saw This… Shat My Pants

Image credits: sirjooblyness

#40 So I Left My Gloves On My Shower To Dry Last Night, Forgot About Them And Walked Into The Bathroom At 1am To Take A Piss. Lets Just Say Sleeping Wasn’t Easy…

Image credits: catlicker9000

#41 This Reflection Gave Me A Heart Attack

Image credits: chloegallz

#42 My Son Freaked Out And Asked Who Was In The Hallway

Image credits: 6 years ago

#43 Delivering Pizzas At 2 A.m. And This Just Scared The S**t Out Of Me

Image credits: ChaBoy336

#44 Scared The Hell Out Of Me

Image credits: tuesdayisfortacos

#45 Scared The Living S**t Out Of Me!

Dog-sitting for my friend. I got there today and it looked as though someone may have broken in while I was gone so I decided to search the house. Walked into one of their rooms and saw this (his wife is a hairdresser). Scared the living s**t out of me!

Image credits: zeewrecks

#46 The Employees Of ‘Xplor’ Were A Little Freaked Out When They Saw My Girlfriend And Her Family’s Cave Exploring Picture

Image credits: papa14moose

#47 Whenever I Go To The Hardware Store, This Scares The Hell Out Of Me. Every Time

Image credits: justaddwater850

#48 I Had To Go Do An Inspection For Work, And Damn Near Had A Heart Attack

Image credits: I_am_not_logan

#49 Well I About Had A Heart Attack Taking Out The Trash This Morning

Image credits: crazyt123

#50 Almost Got A Heart Attack This Morning. I Was So Sleepy Yesterday I Forgot I Put My Lashes On The Sink And I Freaked Out When I Saw This

Image credits: tyrakmrzmn_

#51 Wife Has Fallen Asleep Beneath The Paper. This Freaked Me Out For A Second

Image credits: craigstone_

#52 Found This While Shopping. Store Clerks Almost Gave Me A Heart Attack

Image credits: Joccish

#53 This Scared The Hell Out Of Me Today, Until I Realized I Was Actually The Creepy Guy Peeking In Through The Bathroom Window

Image credits: viavant

#54 This Scared Me A Little

Image credits: twintomelissa

#55 Saw This Today On The Highway While Driving To Breakfast, Freaked My Girlfriend And I Out Before We Realized What Was Happening

Image credits: thebornotaku

#56 This Scared The S**t Out Of Me When I Walked Into My Room (Pants Were On A Fan To Dry I Guess)

Image credits: rygar93

#57 Scared The Hell Out Of Me When This Rolled In The Shop

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#58 My Sister Left A Hair Clip In The Shower. Scared The Crap Out Of Me

Image credits: spud13925

#59 This Scared The S**t Out Of Me

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#60 Had A Mini Heart Attack When I Walked In To A Customer’s House Today

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#61 Drove By A Bush And Nearly Had A Heart Attack Because Of This!

Image credits: Azivation

#62 My Boyfriend’s Niece Tried To Tell Me Goodbye From Her Window And Almost Gave Me A Heart Attack

Image credits: annjay_

#63 My 9-Year-Old Left A Surprise For My Wife. Scaring The S**t Out Of Her When She Checked The Rear View. Kids

Image credits: Johnnyoneshot

#64 Accidentally Used The Qtip My Wife Used Today For Her Make Up, In My Ears, And I Almost Had A Heart Attack

Image credits: curiousthecatisdead

Source: boredpanda.com