Behold – there is a ocean-dwelling beast lurking off the shore of Whitstable.
Yes, the sleepy seaside town famed for its oysters and cream teas is now apparently home to a giant sea monster, which has rightly earned the moniker ‘Crabzilla’.
A satellite image of the colossal crustacean – thought to be 50ft across - surfaced on Weird Whitstable, an online journal dedicated to tall tales in the area.
Could it be...?
Blog curator Quinton Winter revealed to The Express he had encountered the decapod himself: “At first all I could see was some faint movement, then as it rose from the water I thought ‘that’s a funny looking bit of driftwood’.
“Before this incident I thought the aerial photo showed an odd-shaped sandbank. Now I know better.”
Weird News: Strange, But True
Winter first made reference to the giant crab in July last year when he published a wholly unconvincing image of an oversized shellfish poking its claws out of the water below two blissfully unaware children playing on the pier.
It was accompanied with the explanation: “This shocking image of a giant crab under a popular crabbing spot in Whitstable was taken last weekend.
“The boys were unaware of the danger, but as several passerbys shouted to them, the crab silently slipped away under the water, into the dark, sideways.”
According to the Marine Biological Association of the UK, the biggest crab in the world is the Japanese Spider Crab, which can grow up to 3.7m across.
Crabzilla, however appears to be shaped like an edible crab, commonly found in British waters and growing up to 5 inches in width.
Graphic artist Ashley Austen told Kent Online: “The image of the giant crab can be quite easily recreated in Photoshop.
“All the ‘artist’ had to do is find a suitable image of a crab, overlay it onto the satellite picture of the harbour and apply a few filters to get the realistic look.”
You don't say.