A picture of a giant squid beached on the Santa Monica coastline has been deemed a hoax.
Over 500,000 people tweeted and viewed the image of an alleged 160 foot squid on Facebook after it was published yesterday on The Lightly Braised Turnip.
In the article it is alleged that the colossal creature purportedly grew so big due to 'radioactive gigantism'.
However, Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber believed that the story, and the website behind it, were satirical.
The story comes two months after international news reported that two rare giant oarfishes had been found in Los Angeles.
The article, written by Butch Witt, alleges that the squid originated from the waters near the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in the Futaba District of Japan but had drifted to the US.
He quoted Santa Monica Parks Manager Cynthia Beard, who said that she intended to move the creature in pieces to Scripps Research Institute for research.
It also said that a yellow alert had been raised to encourage residents to exercise caution along the shore.
Yet after conducting his own investigation Mr Steiber found several holes in the story.
He believed that despite the lack of a disclaimer the website was satirical and followed an increasing trend of publishing fake news that could dupe readers.
He said: "The institute is real, Beard is not, and the story’s basic premise is not.
"Other signs point to it being a satire website, principally some of the articles it’s published recently.
"These include an exclusive interview with Santa Claus on Diverse Santas."
See the reaction to the story from social media users around the globe below.