Recently, a video of a mermaid  was posted on the social network  Tiktok  and was shared with such speed that the police had to tell viewers that this  mermaid  was a fake.

A video showing a “real mermaid” in South Africa went viral on TikTok  on April 6, and was later re-uploaded on YouTube leading people to believe that the creature seen in Kenya was indeed is the  mermaid  of the legend. The rumor spread too strongly, so the local government corrected and labeled the video as “fake”. Many clips claiming to have filmed a “real mermaid” on the beach went viral on  TikTok  and YouTube, sparking much speculation about how the footage was made and prompting local authorities to refute the claims.

On April 6, a user named  Aamir Cali  uploaded  TikTok  with the caption “Real mermaid caught in Muizenberg South Africa.” The clip shows a group of people surrounding a human-like object with a long moving tail attached to its lower body. The clip has gone viral with 9.6 million views and is one of several on user accounts claiming to show a “real mermaid” being caught on film. The user did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there is no evidence that mermaids – known in myth as being half-man, half-fish – have ever lived on earth.

Most of the comments under the video expressed skepticism, bewildered viewers did not know what the video depicts. Some speculate that the tail-like object in the clip is actually a large fish that has partially swallowed the child. Some have also suggested that the tail-like object could be attached to a pullable “string” to make it move. Dan Evon wrote to authenticity-checking website Snopes, “Most likely, this video is a digitally altered collage between a realistic scene of a dying fish and the images. digitally added of a child or doll.”

British broadcaster ITV News also analyzed the video in an April 14 report that aired exclusively on Instagram and YouTube, concluding that “There is no solid scientific evidence about mermaids and their nature.” Since the authenticity of this video is disputed, it is highly unlikely that this actually happened.” a mermaid.” On April 7, additional footage that appeared to be the same scene reappeared on several YouTube and  TikTok accounts, but this time, subtitles under the video said it was filmed in Ukanda, a town in Kenya.These videos have millions of views combined.

The account owner who posted these clips has not made any follow-up videos nor responded to any comments to clarify whether they own the footage.