FACT CHECK: No, This Video Of Fast Turtles Is Not Real

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows a group of turtles speedily running in circles.

Verdict: False

The video was created through the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI). It does not show real turtles running.

Fact Check:

The video shows a group of large turtles that appear to be speedily running in circles along the perimeter of a room. “I didn’t know turtles could go this fast,” reads the Facebook post’s caption. The video has also been widely shared on Twitter with similar comments.

The turtles in the video, however, are not real. Through a reverse image search of key frames, Check Your Fact discovered the same video was shared in an India Today article that explained it was created by Vernon James Manlapaz, an “augmented-reality specialist.” Manlapaz is known for creating short, animated videos using CGI, according to profiles of his work in Colossal and Vice.

“The content I make is always about bringing out that childlike wonder we all have,” Manlapaz told Colossal in 2019. “The goal has always been to bring joy and happiness to everyone who comes across my work. That even that 10 seconds they spend watching the content brings joy to them even for a couple of moments to their life.”

Manlapaz originally shared the video in an Aug. 28 Instagram post. His verified Instagram account is filled with similar videos of other animals doing seemingly impossible things, like fish and stingrays flying through the air. (RELATED: Does This Image Show The Tortoise That Is The ‘Oldest Known Land Animal Alive Today’?)

“The turtle video was created with animation and visual effects composited on a video footage,” Manlapaz confirmed Check Your Fact via email.

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