TikTok conspiracy theory claims that live dinosaurs were discovered in ‘uncharted lands’ in China

In case you needed further proof that TikTok is a factory for the wildest conspiracy theories imaginable, right now there's a rumor that live dinosaurs were just discovered in China.

Connecting the popularity of cryptids with "secret undiscovered land" fantasies like the Hollow Earth theory, this is old-school conspiracy material. The original source is similarly goofy: A TikToker who says she overheard the news on Chinese TV at a nail salon.

Speaking in a three-minute video, TikToker @ravenguru2 explains that she used her phone's translation app to understand a Chinese news channel at the salon. She was shocked to hear that thousands of 13-foot-tall "dinosaur-like creatures" had just been discovered in "uncharted lands"—and that American media wasn't covering the story at all.

After confirming the translation with a Chinese nail tech, @ravenguru2 added that people were scared of what might happen if the dinosaurs get out, envisioning a Jurassic World-like disaster scenario. In the two weeks since it was posted, this TikTok has been viewed over 740,000 times.

@ravenguru2 #explorer #viral #talkup #findingtheanswer #breakingnews #fyp ♬ original sound - Raven Holiday

One possible explanation is that @ravenguru2 did overhear a real news report, but it was garbled by her translation app. Last year, scientists found an ancient forest at the bottom of a huge sinkhole in Guangxi, China. It may even be home to previously-undocumented plants and animals… but not actual dinosaurs.

Some news stories describe the forest as "prehistoric" and mention trees "towering over 130 feet" which might explain the "13-foot dinosaurs" thing. However, this kind of sinkhole isn't unique, particularly in this area of China, which is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its natural beauty and large cave systems.

But that explanation isn't as TikTok-friendly as a story about secret dinosaurs.

A secondhand anecdote about overhearing weird Chinese news at the nail salon is exactly the kind of conspiracy theory that most people would ignore IRL. But thanks to the vagaries of the TikTok algorithm, this rumor continues to spark discussion—split between people spreading the same misinformation from a single source, and others debunking or mocking it.

For instance, here's a viral TikTok that takes @ravenguru2's story and runs with it, segueing into a storytime about researchers fleeing an apex predator dinosaur. Several commenters point out that this is just Jurassic Park, but others seem to take it at face value.

@nightgod333 China Discovers Uncharted Lands….with Dinosaurs!! #fyp #nightgod333 #nightgod #storytime #storyteller #foryou ♬ original sound - Kyle Frisbey

Meanwhile, other accounts just parroted the original talking points about dinosaurs and "uncharted lands," an SEO-friendly phrase that quickly became associated with this rumor.

We're also starting to see people connect this idea to a recent news story about Japan "discovering" 7000 new islands—something that sounds more dramatic than it is. In reality, this appears to be a bureaucratic issue where Japanese scientists were mapping the surrounding ocean, and reclassified small sandbars and rocky outcroppings as "islands" according to UN mapping regulations.

Responding to the dinosaur rumor, there are also some popular TikToks pointing out that there's no coverage of the story on Chinese news sites. However, the idea of secret live dinosaurs is too tempting for many people to resist.

@divineenergyme #dnaremembrance #divineenergyme #dinosaur ♬ Epic Emotional - AShamaluevMusic

2023 has already seen several ridiculous hoaxes and conspiracy theories emerge from TikTok, including the rumor that the Mona Lisa was stolen, and the supposed assassination of a guy who discovered a giant. In turn, this fed into a meme that 2023's news stories are unusually wild, a belief that only grows with each new conspiracy theory.

As the dinosaur story spread to other platforms, the top response on Twitter was someone comparing it to other "news" stories like acid rain in Ohio (a false addition to the very real Ohio chemical disaster), and a sudden spate of UFO sightings.

Others placed it alongside the "7000 new islands" news, earthquakes, and stories about the Earth beginning to spin backwards—a mishmash of real events and misinformation that paint a picture of the end times.

It's hard to say how many people truly believe this dinosaur rumor, but right now its spread is a very familiar TikTok phenomenon, as people repost the same "facts" purely because they saw someone else mention them on the app.

The Daily Dot has reached out to @ravenguru2 via TikTok comment.

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