diff --git a/src/ShallowWrapper.js b/src/ShallowWrapper.js
index 38d723331..7514e20c8 100644
--- a/src/ShallowWrapper.js
+++ b/src/ShallowWrapper.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   withSetStateAllowed,
   propsOfNode,
   typeOfNode,
+  isReactElementAlike,
 } from './Utils';
 import {
   debugNodes,
@@ -209,6 +210,13 @@ export default class ShallowWrapper {
    * @returns {Boolean}
    */
   contains(nodeOrNodes) {
+    if (!isReactElementAlike(nodeOrNodes)) {
+      throw new Error(
+        'ShallowWrapper::contains() can only be called with ReactElement (or array of them), ' +
+        'string or number as argument.'
+      );
+    }
+
     const predicate = Array.isArray(nodeOrNodes)
       ? other => containsChildrenSubArray(nodeEqual, other, nodeOrNodes)
       : other => nodeEqual(nodeOrNodes, other);
diff --git a/src/Utils.js b/src/Utils.js
index 001c37ad6..a40eaf82f 100644
--- a/src/Utils.js
+++ b/src/Utils.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /* eslint no-use-before-define:0 */
 import isEqual from 'lodash/isEqual';
+import React from 'react';
 import {
   isDOMComponent,
   findDOMNode,
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@ export function nodeEqual(a, b) {
     }
   }
 
-  if (typeof a !== 'string' && typeof a !== 'number') {
+  if (!isTextualNode(a)) {
     return leftKeys.length === Object.keys(right).length;
   }
 
@@ -117,6 +118,13 @@ function childrenOfNode(node) {
   return childrenToArray(children);
 }
 
+function isTextualNode(node) {
+  return typeof node === 'string' || typeof node === 'number';
+}
+
+export function isReactElementAlike(arg) {
+  return React.isValidElement(arg) || isTextualNode(arg) || Array.isArray(arg);
+}
 
 // 'click' => 'onClick'
 // 'mouseEnter' => 'onMouseEnter'
diff --git a/test/ShallowWrapper-spec.js b/test/ShallowWrapper-spec.js
index 684503a71..30eca18c2 100644
--- a/test/ShallowWrapper-spec.js
+++ b/test/ShallowWrapper-spec.js
@@ -193,6 +193,13 @@ describe('shallow', () => {
       expect(wrapper.contains(passes2)).to.equal(true);
     });
 
+    it('should throw on invalid argument', () => {
+      const wrapper = shallow(<div></div>);
+
+      expect(() => wrapper.contains({})).to.throw();
+      expect(() => wrapper.contains(() => ({}))).to.throw();
+    });
+
     describeIf(!REACT013, 'stateless function components', () => {
       it('should match composite components', () => {
         const Foo = () => (