According to social media reports, the pink dolphin was swept out of its normal environment and discovered abandoned on the coast.
Photos purporting to depict a pink dolphin off the coast of North Carolina have lately acquired traction on social media, leaving viewers both surprised and perplexed. The photos, which were first published on Facebook, show a pink dolphin jumping in the air and another stuck on North Carolina’s Hatteras Beach.
According to social media posts, the dolphin was swept out of its normal environment and discovered abandoned on the coast. The photos instantly went viral, leaving the internet shocked.
However, following a closer investigation, several social media users discovered the dolphin’s strange synthetic look. This feature spurred debate, with many people doubting the photos’ legitimacy and if they were AI-generated or phony.
Check out the pictures below:
In the comments section, one user claimed that the images are not AI-generated and that pink dolphins “show up every now and then,” adding that the “last one was a few years ago near Louisiana. Albino dolphins are just rare.”. Another post claimed that the dolphin was washed off its natural habitat and was saved by a man.
However, several readers provided context for the images, writing, “This is a bottlenose dolphin, which may be pink when albino but not this pink. This is a Photoshopped picture. It is critical to explain that this is not an AI image since not only is it not accurate, but it can raise fears about AI becoming too real.”
Separately, local media source WCNC confirmed that the photographs claiming to depict a pink dolphin in North Carolina are not genuine.
“We have not received any reports or verified photos of pink dolphins in North Carolina waters,” a representative for the Division of Marine Fisheries told the publication. Experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Southeast Regional Office also determined that the photographs are not authentic.
Meanwhile, in response to the images, one social media user wrote, “That’s either a very nicely done toy or a dolphin that manages to keep the same posture in all of the photos.”
“This is actually confirmed to be fake and possibly even AI-generated since it has a plastic look to it when you examine it,” according to another user.
