NASA’s Perseverance rover spots a ‘shark fin’ and a ‘crab claw’ on Mars

Looking at this new photo from NASA’s Perseverance rover, you’d think something strange is going on on the Red Planet.

That’s because the car-sized robot created an image of two separate boulders resembling a shark fin and a crab claw.

The US Space Agency shared this latest discovery on X (formerly known as Twitter), sparking a flurry of comments from space fans joking that the crab-like rock was the remains of the “Almighty Great Cosmic Crab.”

Others said the “claw” looked more like a coffee bean or the head of a turtle “digging a hole for its eggs,” while some joked that the shark’s fin could actually be the “back plates” of a Stegosaurus.

The photos, taken last month, are the latest example of a phenomenon known as pareidolia – where the human brain tries to make sense of what the eyes see, creating a meaning that isn’t real.

Target: The car-sized rover (pictured) launched to Mars in 2020 to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet

Most famously for Mars, this happened in 1976 when NASA’s Viking 1 spacecraft captured an image of what appeared to be a face carved into the surface of the Red Planet.

When the U.S. Space Agency released the photo to the public, it became clear that it was an illusion created by shadows, but that didn’t stop some claiming the face was the work of an alien species.

It wasn’t until 20 years later that NASA tried to subvert these fevered speculations.

In 1998, the agency’s Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) captured images of the so-called “Face on Mars” that were ten times sharper than Viking 1, revealing that it was a much more natural-looking rock outcrop.

However, not everyone was convinced.

Some conspiracy theorists clung to the idea that the images were obscured by haze, but NASA was able to prove once and for all in 2001 that it was a common geological feature known as a butte or mesa that exists on Earth prevents.

‘We photographed the face as soon as we could get a good picture of it,” said Jim Garvin, chief scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.

“It most reminds me of Middle Butte in Idaho’s Snake River Plain.

“It’s a lava dome that takes the form of an isolated mesa about the same height as the Face of Mars.”

The US Space Agency shared this latest discovery on X (formerly known as Twitter), sparking a flurry of comments from space fans joking that the crab-like rock was the remains of the “Almighty Great Cosmic Crab.”

Some shared funny gifs of what a dancing crab might look like on the surface of the Red Planet

Others said the “claw” looked more like a coffee bean or the head of a turtle “digging a hole for its eggs,” while some joked that the shark’s fin could actually be the “back plates” of a Stegosaurus.

However, this is just one example of the strange rocks that have been observed on Mars.

This year alone, the U.S. Space Agency has shared photos of a doughnut-shaped rock and bony stone, while Perseverance’s fellow Mars rover Curiosity smashed a shadowy feature in a rock face that some claimed was a “doorway.”

However, that idea was quickly dismissed by NASA when the U.S. Space Agency revealed it was only a few inches wide and high, while geologists said it was likely caused by several coincident straight-line fractures in the rock face.

Perseverance was launched to Mars in 2020 to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.

It is currently exploring an ancient river delta in the Jezero crater, which was once filled with a 500-metre-deep lake.

Scientists believe the region hosted microbial life some 3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago. Therefore, the rover has been tasked with examining soil samples for evidence of extraterrestrial existence.

Evidence of aliens at work? In 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 spacecraft captured an image of what appeared to be a face carved into the surface of the Red Planet

In 1998, the agency’s Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) captured images of the so-called “Face on Mars” that were ten times sharper than Viking 1, revealing that it was a much more natural-looking rock outcrop. Three years later, NASA said it was a common geological feature known as a butte or mesa that also appears on Earth.

Misleading: Earlier this year, Curiosity, Perseverance’s fellow Mars rover, broke a shadowy spot in a rock face that some claimed was a “doorway” (pictured)

Hard at work: NASA’s Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter search for life on the Red Planet

NASA’s Mars 2020 mission was launched to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet, in an effort to help scientists better understand how life evolved on Earth in the early years of the solar system’s evolution.

The main car-sized rover, named Perseverance, explores an ancient river delta in the Jezero crater, which was once filled with a 500-meter-deep lake.

The region is believed to have harbored microbial life some 3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago, and the rover will examine soil samples to look for evidence of life.

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover (artist’s impression) looks for signs of ancient life on Mars in an effort to help scientists better understand how life evolved on our own planet

The $2.5bn (£1.95bn) Mars 2020 spacecraft launched on July 30 with the rover and helicopter inside – and landed successfully on February 18, 2021.

Perseverance landed in the crater and will slowly collect samples that will eventually be returned to Earth for further analysis.

A second mission will fly to the planet and return the samples, perhaps towards the end of the 2020s in collaboration with the European Space Agency.

This concept art shows the Mars 2020 rover landing on the red planet via NASA’s ‘sky-crane’ system