What Is The 'Hurricane Shark'? One Of The Internet's Most Popular Recurring Hoaxes Explained

Since time immemorial (which means "2011" in internet years), the advent of hurricane season means the advent of Hurricane Shark season. For over a decade, every significant hurricane has seen the same picture of a shark swimming over flooded streets go viral on social media. It's a stunning image, but ultimately, it's fake, and like a real shark, it lies in wait for some poor soul to take the bait. The latest, and perhaps most high-profile victim of the Hurricane Shark hoax is Ted Cruz, who bore the brunt of the internet jokes after he reposted a variation of the common hoax with awe.

Here, we'll lay out how the "Hurricane Shark" came to be one of the internet's most persistent hoaxes.

What Is The 'Hurricane Shark'?

The hurricane shark is a photoshopped image of a shark swimming alongside a semi-submerged car on a flooded highway. It first appeared in 2011 alongside the spread of Hurricane Irene, where it was rumored to have been taken in Puerto Rico.

The photo is completely doctored. The shark in the picture was lifted from a 2005 photo that appeared in African Geographic.

How Did The 'Hurricane Shark' Spread?

Though the image was formally debunked by Snopes in 2011, it has continued to spread online alongside every hurricane. The shark made appearances online in the wake of 2017's Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.

A variation includes the less-viral but equally fake picture of sharks swimming at the bottom of a flooded escalator bank, which also tends to crop up whenever someone has fallen for the first hurricane shark photo (shown below).

Has There Ever Been A 'Hurricane Shark'?

While the classic hurricane shark has been a genuine meme for over a decade, there has (maybe) been at least one actual "Hurricane Shark." In 2022, Florida had a genuine hurricane shark during Hurricane Ian. A viral video appeared to show a shark swimming on the streets of Florida, and while the video itself is authentic, it was never verified whether the creature swimming was actually a shark.

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For more information, check out the entry for Hurricane Shark on Know Your Meme.