Fact check: Video of 'Mediterranean beef squid' is a viral hoax, experts say

Eleanor McCrary, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Video shows 'Mediterranean beef squid'

An April 20 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a person in the water holding a large pink squid.

"Insane. I have finally caught the Mediterranean beef squid," says the person in the video. "Fluorescent pink, they only come out at night before sunset. They hunt guinea pigs on the shore."

He goes on to say the squid has a blowhole and detachable tentacles that come off when they "feel threatened by boats and jet skis," but the tentacles "can come home like ET."

It was viewed more than 20 million times in six days. The same video was posted on TikTok in 2019, where it has been liked over 2 million times. In some iterations, it is referred to instead as a "beast squid."

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Our rating: False

There is no such thing as a beef squid – or beast squid. The video shows a toy, experts told USA TODAY.

Squid is artificial

The "Mediterranean beef squid" is not real, David Scheel, a marine biology professor at Alaska Pacific University, told USA TODAY in an email.

"The squid is a manufactured toy," he said.

James Wood, the president of Coral Sea Aquarium and a marine biologist who studies cephalopods – which include squids and octopuses – similarly noted that it was "awfully buoyant" and "sounds like a rubber balloon."

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The physical description also conflicts with what is known about squid anatomy.

Squids do not have blowholes but do have siphons, which look similar and are involved in the animal's respiration process. Octopuses, a close relative of squids, have been known to "detach their arms when threatened – somewhat like a lizard dropping its tail," Scheel said.

However, there is no record of squids dropping their tentacles or of octopus arms reattaching themselves, although their arms can grow back.

"The guy is telling tall tales with kids," Scheel said.

Fantastical stories involving cephalopods have been told by humans for thousands of years, Wood said.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment and did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Video of 'Mediterranean beef squid' is a viral hoax