Fact check: The ‘world’s largest turtle?’ Video is real, but there is no AI involved

A video shared on social media claims ‘the world’s largest turtle’ is slowly moving along a beach.

The video actually showed a leatherback turtle, the largest of its kind. However, it was filmed from a low angle, giving an exaggerated impression of size. This visual effect is a common photographic technique called forced perspective.

The video in question actually shows a leatherback turtle, the largest known turtle species in the world. However, it was filmed with a low-angle shot, which made the turtle appear larger than its actual size – a photographic technique called forced perspective. This is a visual trick that distorts the scale of objects in such a way that their perceived size changes.

The authenticity of the video was confirmed, with no signs of artificial intelligence (AI) or deepfake manipulation. Hive Moderation, a tool for detecting AI-generated content, confirmed that there was a near-zero chance that the images had been artificially created. While the claim that the turtle shown in the video is the largest species is true, the perceived size was artificially enhanced by the camera angle.