Hurricane Matthew may break a lot of records, but the fact that it has spawned the most fake photos and videos of all-time on social media may be it’s most unique legacy. First, it was the Daytona International Speedway Flood Photogate that was trending on Facebook (incorrectly), and now it’s the shark photos and videos from St. Augustine to South Carolina that are going viral.
While it is very possible that fish and other marine life will be displaced way inland from a massive storm surge, so far there hasn’t been a verified shark in the street photo … yet!
Here are the greatest hits of sharks in the streets photos and videos.
This photo is supposedly from a St. Augustine street during Hurricane Matthew.
In reality, it first surfaced during Hurricane Katrina. Kudos to the photoshopper for spawning a photo that lasted multiple hurricanes over a decade apart!
Next up, is this bull shark patrolling a neighborhood street.
But, it’s not just photos, check out this video! This “Faux Shark” always shows up during floods and bad weather.
From Snopes: The above-displayed video was shared thousands of times on Facebook and fooled many viewers into believing that a shark was really roaming the streets of Ocean City. Fortunately, that is not the case. One giveaway that the video isn’t real is that the shark’s wake originates solely from its dorsal fin: water movement should also be visible near the shark’s tail, especially when the creature makes the sharp turns seen in the video.
Here’s the true “shark”…
And, now for the grand finale! These glorious photoshopped images need no explanation – hopefully.
At the end of the day we’ll rely on the expert via DailyMail, George Burgess, the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, called sharks washing ashore ‘highly unlikely.’
‘While scientific evidence is scanty, there is one study that demonstrates offshore movement of sharks in advance of an incoming hurricane, suggesting that old fishermen observations are spot on,’ he said.
‘Also remember that sharks are not likely to wish to be in the superhigh energy surf zone during a storm nor venture into the very alien and novel environment of flooded lowlands.’
So, now you know the rest of the story ….
