An image shared on X allegedly shows a 1908 image of “the last known Triceratops specimen” with a man who appears to be Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. president.
Verdict: False
This is not a genuine photo. The image was posted in 2015 by a user who tagged the post with “#photoshop.”
Fact Check:
The great-great-great grandson of Roosevelt is participating in protests against Israel’s war in Gaza at Princeton University, where he is a freshman, according to New York Post. Quentin Colon Roosevelt, 18, also once served as Washington, D.C.’s youngest elected official, the outlet reported.
The X post purports to show a photo of a triceratops that was hunted. The post shared a black-and-white image that seems to show Theodore Roosevelt with a hand placed on the head of a triceratops.
“Cursed,” the text reads after being translated. “This is the photo of the last known Triceratops specimen. He was hunted in 1908 for the value of his antlers.”
The photo dates back to 2015 when it was posted to Reddit. The Reddit post links to an Imgur upload, which credits the picture to Jon Deviny, including a link to his Instagram profile. Deviny uploaded the image to Instagram on February 23, 2015, including “#photoshop” in the description.
The photo was also uploaded to X in January 2017. The post links a site called “KNOWOL” as the source. Although the webpage claims that the image shows Roosevelt with a now-extinct dinosaur, a disclaimer at the bottom reads, “Wisdom: Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
Vox outlined every animal Roosevelt killed, a triceratops was not one. The original image shows the former president posing with a bull elephant, as can be seen on the Library of Congress’s website.
The picture was also debunked by Snopes. (RELATED: Images Of ‘Extinct Dragons Of North America’ Are AI-Generated)
Check Your Fact reached out to Deviny for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.