The video has been shared repeatedly on Instagram, Facebook, SnackVideo, YouTube, X and TikTok here and here. Similar claims have been spread by users in 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 turned up the video uploaded to TikTok by user @felixcebrian0 on June 23, 2024 (archived link).
The video was later shown 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, the 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):
Earlier that day, the same TikTok account had also posted a video showing people working on the crab sculptures that were lifted into the air by cranes (archived link).
A keyword search on Google Maps with the location Chipiona and the terms “cangrejo” and “gigante” (Spanish for “crab” and “giant”) found several corresponding photos with the geographical location of the seaside resort in the Spanish province of Cádiz (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 of the art installation were also uploaded to the Chipiona City Council Facebook page on June 22, 2024 (archived link).
The message stated that the artwork was created by artist Alfredo Zarazaga (archived link).
Zarazaga wrote on his website that he needed 4,300 kilograms of recycled iron to make his giant sculpture ‘Crabs on the Coast’ and that it was intended to raise awareness about the importance of protecting marine diversity (archived link).
