share a similar style and overlap in a confined space, the brain defaults to the simplest interpretation — one animal — rather than the more complex one. Covering the connection points, as the central banner does here, removes the one cue that would allow the eye to separate the figures correctly.
Horses facing opposite directions
the anatomy of the illusion
Tracing each animal carefully reveals the construction. The first horse has its head turned to the left, its front legs raised, and its hindquarters extending toward the right side of the image.
