NASA’s Perseverance rover has set the internet abuzz with its latest photographic discovery on the Red Planet. The car-sized robotic explorer has captured images of two distinctive boulders, which bear an uncanny resemblance to a shark fin and a crab claw. NASA unveiled these fascinating images on X (previously known as Twitter), sparking an immediate flood of reactions from space enthusiasts and the curious public.

“The Almighty Great Cosmic Crab lives on!” joked some social media users, while others playfully argued that the ‘claw’ looked more like a coffee bean or a turtle head “digging a hole for its eggs.” Additionally, some fans speculated that the shark fin-shaped rock could represent the “back plates” of a Stegosaurus.

These photos, taken last month, reignite discussions about the psychological phenomenon known as pareidolia—a cognitive response where the human brain attempts to find familiar patterns in random visual data. Mars has a rich history with pareidolia; most notably in 1976, when NASA’s Viking 1 spacecraft captured an image of what appeared to be a face etched into the Martian surface.

NASA has stressed that these formations are simply the result of shadows and natural geological features, quelling suggestions of extraterrestrial involvement. It took another two decades and sharper imaging from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) in 1998 to finally settle the matter. Yet, some conspiracy theorists were not easily swayed, claiming image obfuscation due to atmospheric haze, a claim NASA firmly debunked in 2001.

“‘We photographed the Face as soon as we could get a good shot at it,’ said Jim Garvin, the chief scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.

While the most recent images may not provide conclusive evidence of Martian marine life or cosmic crabs, they do offer yet another intriguing chapter in humanity’s ongoing fascination with the mysteries of Mars.