Update 7:05am CT, Sept. 30: The Associated Press tracked down Dominic Cameratta, who filmed the original video after spotting what appeared to be a shark in his backyard. Although the video is legitimate, experts are torn about whether it is a real shark or another fish.
The original story appears below.
A viral video of what appears to be a shark in a yard in Florida is going around online, after the internet spent years trying to debunk old viral clips.
It’s unclear of its legitimacy, as it was posted by two separate users at different times, neither of whom were able to comment on the video.
One video was posted by Brad Habuda and appears to show a shark or fish in the flood waters in Fort Myers, Florida after it was hit by Hurricane Ian on Wednesday.
Brad said that a person in Fort Myers originally shared the video, but did not say how he obtained the video.
“Somehow a shark ended up in a Fort Myers neighborhood during Hurricane Ian,” he wrote.
The video caused a stir online because for years, one picture of a shark swimming on a highway would always go viral after hurricanes, only to be repeatedly debunked.
The video has garnered over 1,000 retweets and 2,400 likes. It was also picked up by @US_Stormwatch, where it has over 7,000 retweets and 20,000 likes.
Another user appears to have first posted the same video at 10am, saying that his buddy had sent him the video.
It is unclear whether the video is legitimate. The Daily Dot attempted to contact both users who posted it, but have not been able to track down the provenance of it.
Some users were doubtful of the video’s veracity.
A number of users wanted to believe it, although some question whether it was a shark or another kind of fish.
Still, some had some well-timed jokes.
“Poor thing, it’s heartbreaking to see its reaction as it realizes it’s in Florida,” one user wrote.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, bringing with it heavy rains, flooding, and winds up to 150 MPH.
This story has been updated to reflect that the shark’s veracity has not been proven and removed quotes discussing it.
