Fact Check: Papuan Fisherman Didn't Catch Giant Axolotl Sea Creature (2024)

Caroline Wazer

·4 min read

Claim:

Photos shared on social media authentically showed a huge sea creature caught by a fisherman.

Rating:

Starting in July 2024, a set of images purportedly showing giant axolotl-like creatures both in a fisherman's boat and underwater circulated on social media. The most popular post featuring the images that Snopes has been able to identify was made on Facebook on July 30, 2024, and, at the time of this writing, had received around 9,600 reactions and 3,300 comments.

The caption of that post read:

Papuan fishermen catch animals that have never been seen before 😨

Fact Check: Papuan Fisherman Didn't Catch Giant Axolotl Sea Creature (2)

(Facebook account Jarred Jermaine)

Although Snopes has so far been unable to identify the creator of the images, they appear to have begun to circulate on social media on or before July 23, 2024, when the earliest securely datable posts featuring all or some of the images were made on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

In a caption originally written in Japanese and translated using Google Translate, one X post made that day compared the creatures shown in the images to a mutated aquatic creature featured in Prime Video's 2024 "Fallout" series, writing: "I'm totally a Gulper from the drama Fallout 😂."

完全にドラマフォールアウトのガルパーだわ😂 pic.twitter.com/nx1KyWEelI

— 𝐊𝐞𝐞 (@LeftKee) July 23, 2024

Snopes found no evidence that the images shown in the posts authentically depicted a real animal caught by a fisherman. Using Google's reverse-image search tool, we found no authentic source for the above images.Nor did we find any news outlets reporting on it, or any photographer claiming to have taken this picture.

The creatures shown in the posts closely resembled axolotls, a critically endangered type of salamander, but some features of the images and posts suggest that these were not real axolotl specimens.

First, although the creatures in the images appear roughly the same size as the humans shown sitting next to them, real axolotls are significantly smaller than a human. According to both the San Diego Zoo and the Los Angeles Zoo, it is possible for axolotls to reach a maximum length of around 18 inches, but they are typically shorter than a foot in length, reaching between 7 and 11 inches at maturity.

Second, axolotls in the wild are only found in a small number of freshwater lakes in Mexico's state of Jalisco. They cannot live in the ocean, and there is no evidence the animals have ever been found in either Papua, the Indonesian province, or in the nation of Papua New Guinea, as several of the social media posts sharing the images claimed. A Google search for "Papua" and "axolotl" returned no results connecting axolotls to Papua beyond one Facebook post sharing the same images investigated here.

In addition to the creatures' size and the fact that wild axolotls are found only in freshwater lakes in one Mexican state, there were other signs that the images were not authentic photos, which many internet users pointed out in comments left on posts featuring the images.

One aspect pointed out by multiple commenters was the human-like hands visible in one of the three images of the axolotl-like creature, which were seemingly complete with fingernails. One commenter wrote: "AI generated, the axolotl's "hand" on the first picture looks like a human's." Another left a comment reading: "Deffo AI. Look at the left ones 'hands'..."

Fact Check: Papuan Fisherman Didn't Catch Giant Axolotl Sea Creature (3)

(Facebook account Jarred Jermaine)

Another clue that the images were not authentic was the garbled text on the T-shirts of the men visible in two of the photos. Bizarre hands and gibberish text are both common hallmarks of images created using artificial intelligence (AI) software.

We also ran the images through AI image detectors AI or Not and Hive, both of which indicated that the images had a high likelihood of having been AI-generated.

Because the images are inconsistent with basic facts about axolotls and display classic signs of having been AI-generated, we rate the claim that they authentically depict a creature captured by a fisherman as "Fake."

Snopes has previously investigated similar claims about images allegedly showing bizarrely large animals, including a giant centipede purportedly found in Australia and an eerily large octopus that social media posts claimed had washed up on an Indonesian beach.

Sources:

"Axolotl." Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, https://lazoo.org/explore-your-zoo/our-animals/amphibians/axolotl/. Accessed 7 Aug. 2024.

Axolotl | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/axolotl. Accessed 7 Aug. 2024.

Ibrahim, Nur. "This Giant Octopus Was Photographed on the Coast of Indonesia?" Snopes, 5 June 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/giant-octopus-coast-indonesia/.

Lee, David Emery, Jessica. "4 Tips for Spotting AI-Generated Pics." Snopes, 16 Apr. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//articles/464595/artificial-intelligence-media-literacy/.

Wrona, Aleksandra. "Giant Centipede Found in Australia?" Snopes, 9 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/giant-centipede-arthropleura-video/.

Fact Check: Papuan Fisherman Didn't Catch Giant Axolotl Sea Creature (2024)

FAQs

What new species do the Papuan fisherman catch? ›

Papuan fishermen catch animals that have never been seen before 😱 It's better when animals catch humans . The Axolotl Gigantus, an intriguing cousin of the common axolotl, is said to inhabit the mysterious depths of the world's oceans.

What is the giant axolotl like creature? ›

Branchiosauridae is a giant species of aquatic salamander closely resembling the modern day Axolotl. Their physical appearance in adulthood still resembles their juvenile stage, where they have large feathery external gills.

Is the giant axolotl real? ›

You know the average size of Axolotls is around 9 inches, and the Largest ever was 18 Inches.

What is the weird sea creature axolotl? ›

The axolotl remains aquatic (like larvae) their entire life. Though it develops functional lungs, it uses its fancy, feathery gills to breathe underwater. Like youngsters, they retain external gills, a tail, and a body fin, and lack moveable eyelids.

What are the fishermen catching? ›

Commercial fishermen harvest almost all aquatic species, from tuna, cod and salmon to shrimp, krill, lobster, clams, squid and crab, in various fisheries for these species. Commercial fishing methods have become very efficient using large nets and sea-going processing factories.

What are the sea creatures of Papua New Guinea? ›

Charismatic marine species found in Papua New Guinea include dugongs, sharks, rays, sperm whales, green turtles, leatherback turtles, humphead wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, a variety of seabirds and more.

How many axolotls are left in 2024? ›

Axolotls are Mexican Amphibians, falling under the salamander category, and they live in two lakes, including Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco in Mexico. The Axolotl is a species scientists are apprehensive about going extinct soon; they estimate that there are only about 50 to 1,000 left in the wild.

Is A axolotl A Boy or a girl? ›

Both males and female axolotls have a cloaca (genital area), but the cloacae of male axolotls are larger than those of females. Look just behind your axolotl's back legs, under its tale. If there is a definite, rounded bulge, your axolotl is a male!

What God was axolotl? ›

Clearly, the mysterious nature of the axolotl speaks to the narrator in the same way that it conjured godlike comparisons from the Aztecs centuries ago: the axolotl is in fact the animal form of the Aztec god Xolotl, the twin brother of Quetzalcoatl.

Can you eat axolotl fish? ›

Do people eat axolotls? Axolotls were a source of protein for ancient Mexicans. Even today, these salamanders are still consumed in many areas on the supposition that they will protect against respiratory and other diseases.

Can axolotls bite? ›

Axolotls are capable of biting food items and giving any neighboring tank fellows a nip if they get too close. There is also some suggestion they can remove limbs and indulge in a spot of cannibalism when growing up.

Is Blue axolotl real? ›

These axolotls are called melanoid axolotls which are actually black or very dark brown axolotls, but under certain lighting can oftentimes have a gray/blue appearance. It is important to note that these axolotls are actually black and it is merely a trick of the light that makes them appear blue.

Is purple axolotl real? ›

Lavender: This morph is frequently called the silver Dalmatian because of the spots that can develop on the skin. These animals can range in color from dark purple to a silvery purple with silver and dark grey spots resembling a Dalmatian dog.

Is A axolotl a dinosaur? ›

What is an axolotl? The axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, is a type of salamander that doesn't go through metamorphosis. Salamanders are amphibians that, like frogs and newts, start off living in the water.

Why are axolotls smiling? ›

Certain axolotls have slightly turned-up mouths that also give the impression that they're smiling all the time—but unfortunately for hopeful pet owners, that's not the case and just a matter of appearance.

What is the new species of monitor lizard? ›

tanimbar • Two New Species of Monitor Lizards (Squamata: Varanidae) endemic to the Louisiade and Tanimbar Archipelagos with A Key to the Subgenus Euprepiosaurus. (photos by Valter Weijola, Richard How).

What is the new bird species Papua New Guinea? ›

Two new poisonous bird species: The regent whistler and the rufous-naped bellbird. “These birds contain a neurotoxin that they can both tolerate and store in their feathers. “The locals aren't fond of spicy food and steer clear of these birds, because, according to them, their meat burns in the mouth like chili.

What is the new species of swamp eel? ›

Abstract. A new species of swamp eel, Ophichthys terricolus, is described from Assam, India.

What is the new species of deep sea worm? ›

Now, scientists have discovered a new species of deep-sea worm. It was found about 30 miles off of Costa Rica's Pacific coast in an underwater methane seep. Pectinereis strickrotti is described in a study published March 6 in the journal PLOS ONE.

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