No, This Video Does Not Show a Real Incident of an Octopus Crushing Car in Qatar

We found that the viral video does not show a real incident and has been created using 3D tools.

A video of an octopus climbing on top of a car and eventually crushing its roof is being shared on the internet as a recent incident from Qatar.

What have users said: Those sharing the video have captioned it, "In Qatar from the sea to car park, an Octopus!!!."

• Some users have shared the video claiming it to be from New York (archive here).

We received a query about the viral video on our WhatsApp tipline, too.

(You can view archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)

What is the truth?: The video does not show a real incident and has been created using Computer-generated imagery (CGI) tools such as Houdini and Octane renderer.

What led us to the truth?: A closer look showed that the car's number plate carried text that said "@ghost3dee", as opposed to a genuine combination of letters and numbers.

• Taking this as a hint, we searched for the handle on Google and came across an Instagram account named 'Alex Z'.

• The bio mentioned words such as "CG generalist" and carried names of software like Houdini, Max, ZBrush, and Substance.

• We found the same video uploaded on 25 September.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Z (@ghost3dee)

• In the caption of the video, the user mentioned hashtags like #simulation and #creatureanimation. The user indicated that the video was rendered on Snaprender Farm.

• For the unversed, Snaprender Farm is a tool which helps 3D artists a "simple and fast way to get a finished image."

• We also came across different videos of the octopus that were uploaded on the account. You can view them here and here.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Z (@ghost3dee)

• Team WebQoof noticed that the user regularly creates such kinds of videos on their account and calls the octopus 'Churro'.

• We have reached out to the user and they confirmed that the video was created using CGI.

• The creator told us that the video was created by putting the octopus into a real background. The simulation of the octopus was created using Houdini and Octane render.

• The user also mentioned that their personal projects, created to demonstrate their technical skills are often stolen and shared with a distorted description.

• They also shared the VFX breakdown of the video.

Conclusion: It is clear that a simulated video is being shared on the internet with a false claim stating that it shows a real incident of an octopus crushing a car in Qatar.

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