The video has been shared repeatedly on Instagram, Facebook, SnackVideo, YouTube, X and TikTok here And hereSimilar claims have been made by users India And Malaysia.
Responses to the posts show that many social media users believed the claim.
“That’s not a good sign, brother. Stay alert and keep praying so we stay away from bad things,” one person wrote.
“That’s scary,” said another.
Artwork in Spain
A reverse search for keyframes on Google yielded the video uploaded to TikTok on June 23, 2024 by user @felixcebrian0 (archived link).
The video was later released on the MSN News Portal with the caption: “On June 23, 2024, just off the coast in Chipiona, Spain, a surprising scene unfolded as two enormous crabs waited their turn to be lifted by cranes. In a video shared by @felixcebrian0, these giant crustaceans stood prominently, drawing the attention of onlookers with their impressive size” (archived link).
Below you can see a screenshot of the video in the fake post (left) and the one from TikTok (right):
The same TikTok account had posted another post video earlier that day, when people could be seen working on the crab sculptures that were lifted up by cranes (archived link).
Keyword searches on Google Maps with the location Chipiona and the terms “cangrejo” and “gigante” (Spanish for “crab” and “giant”) produced several matching results. photos geotagged to the seaside resort in the province of Cadiz, Spain (archived link).
Below you can see a screenshot of the video in one of the fake messages (left) and a geotagged photo from Google Maps (right):
Photos were also taken of the art installation uploaded on the Facebook page of the Chipiona City Council on June 22, 2024 (archived link).
The message stated that the artwork was created by the artist Alfredo Zarazaga (archived link).
On his website, Zarazaga said his giant sculpture “Crabs on the Shore” required 4,300 kilograms (9,480 pounds) of recycled iron to create and aimed to raise awareness about the importance of protecting marine diversity.archived link).