Rocks resembling giant crab claw and penis found on Mars

By Dean Murray via SWNS

Something fishy is happening on Mars - a giant crab claw, penis and shark fin have been spotted.

Or at least that is what rocks recently observed on the Red Planet have been compared to.

NASA's Perseverance rover has also snapped pictures in the last few months of formations that have looked like a shark mouth, a giant egg and a male appendage.

The fascinating finds have been picked out by eagle-eyed science fans who get to choose an Image of the Week for the space agency.

NASA said of the latest photograph chosen: "This rocky duo was spotted hanging out together in a wind-swept area. I spy a…crab claw? Shark fin?"

Online comments have included:

"Martian crabs were huge and had one giant claw, and one hammer claw, the first is for fighting, the other for breaking open rocks for hidden water."

"What's the scale here? I need to understand how Martian crabs compare in size to Earth crabs."

The often amusing observations of Mars rocks are an example of pareidolia, where we see familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects.

A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, and pave the way for human visits to the planet.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, Calif., built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.