【Second Hand Market Find A Seppa】

There are Second Hand Market Find A Seppamany reasons to avoid floodwater whenever possible, but residents of Houston struggling under Tropical Storm Harvey's unprecedented downpour needn't fear a shark.

A photo of a shark supposedly swimming through Houston's flooded streets went viral on Monday ... but the photo's fake.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Harvey's deadliest threat is just beginning Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The shark in this photo isn't native to waters anywhere near the United States, but was originally photographed watching a kayaker in South Africa.

Published in a 2005 issue of Africa Geographic, conservation photographer Thomas Peschak snapped the original (and stunning) image while working on a book about great white sharks.

Here's how it happened, according to Peschak:

I trained my camera on the nebulous shadow as it slowly transformed into the sleek silhouette of a large great white. When the shark’s dorsal fin emerged, I thought I had the shot but hesitated a fraction of a second. In that moment, the research assistant in the kayak, Trey Snow, turned to look behind him, and I took the shot.

The shot is iconic, and the shark in it has repeatedly found new digital life. It's popped up in edited photographs that show the shark swimming through flooded streets in various cities for years, from New Jersey to Puerto Rico.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Peschak himself has written about friends sending him emails about pictures of the shark he photographed, except now photoshopped into some other part of the globe.

On Aug. 21, 2011, as Hurricane Irene blew through Puerto Rico, Peschak says the shark appeared in an edited photo swimming through a Puerto Rican street. Three days later, it wound up on a news site. The next year, his shark made an appearance swimming through the streets of New Jersey during Hurricane Sandy.

"I always look forward to receiving emails from friends and family who have spotted the same white shark in a different context," Peschak wrote on his website. "While I will probably never become a legend in my own right, at least my white shark is well on her way."

Sharks shouldn't make the list of things Houston residents are concerned about, but several residents have spotted alligators around as the flooding continues.

That said, fake photos of alligators are out there, too.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The above photo, for example, has been making some rounds on social media, and while it was taken in Houston, the photo is from April.

The National Weather Service didn't mention alligators in an earlier "hurricane safety" tweet, but it did say to avoid floodwater "as it may be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines and may hide dangerous debris or places where the ground is washed away."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Hurricane Harvey is intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico

---

• Tech
• Social Good
• Life
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Games
• Digital Culture
• Shopping

• Best Hydro Flask deal: Save $10 on a 24
• Leigh Bardugo talks 'The Language of Thorns' and the dark power of folktales
• Dubai's autonomous flying taxi takes off for its first test flight
• Apple just gave security a boost on iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra
• Skype is finally shutting down
• A woman married herself and the best part was the watermelon
• Ron Howard teases Star Wars fans again with a cryptic Han Solo tweet
• Facebook ads linked to Russia were about undermining Clinton
• Best iPad deal: Save $132 on Apple iPad (10th Gen)
• Whoops, a hacker found a way to steal your passwords from macOS High Sierra

• The FAA just settled one of the biggest drone lawsuits ever
• These 3 graphics explain 2016’s record warmth
• Google has some bad news for Trump ahead of his big day
• Adorable puppy recovers after swallowing 8
• Rae Sremmurd's French weather report is a real crowd pleaser
• People are dumping shared bikes in horrible piles
• The unicorn latte looks too beautiful to drink
• Mum's blog about autism is challenging perceptions one post at a time
• Haunting images and footage show devastation of Italian avalanche
• Turns out that Donald Trump doesn't really like Twitter

• How to Reboot and Reset Android Devices
• Bill Gates has finally switched from the Windows Phone to an Android
• 6 reasons Trump should stay away from longer tweets
• Twitter is testing a new 280
• Best headphones deal: Save up to 51% on Beats at Amazon
• You can now use Alexa with Amazon's music app
• Facebook just pulled back the curtain on how it influences elections
• Saudi women will finally be allowed to drive in 2018
• NYT Strands hints, answers for April 26
• Apple pushes out the first bug

• Sony launches new flagship XM6 headphones: Order them now
• Amazon is showing off a lot of new Alexa
• Move over, ghosting. Submarining is the hot new way to be a jerk.
• 'Game of Thrones' sets directors for the final season and it's all becoming too real
• Things AMD Needs to Fix
• Twitter is testing a 280
• This Is Us Season 2 premiere shows how Jack dies, but there's a twist
• 'Game of Thrones' sets directors for the final season and it's all becoming too real
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 19: Tips to solve Connections #238
• Delta will offer free texting on flights, but never, never phone calls