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Is this real or fake? A family says they just noticed it while watching some home video from a crabbing trip. (Photo courtesy John Canfield)

'Jesus' crab catches eye of Snohomish County family

BY Chris Sullivan  on July 18, 2012 @ 7:58 am (Updated: 12:35 pm - 7/18/12 )

Okay. Here are the ground rules on this. NO ONE IS CLAIMING THIS IS THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. It just happens to look like a common depiction of Jesus. It looks a lot like it.

It could also look like the face of Osama bin Laden. It depends on what you see, if you see anything at all.

So here's the story. This is a still picture taken from a video shot on a crabbing trip near Hat Island, near Everett, last weekend.

The Canfield family was unloading a pot of crab into their boat when the video-taker captured the underside of this crab. I have seen the video.

There is no "oh my gosh would you look at that" dwelling on the image. The person filming didn't even notice. The video continues on with the kids trying to catch crabs that fell onto the deck. There is no stopping in amazement like it was staged.

It wasn't until the family watched the video after they got home that they noticed the crab and the image on its belly. And even as I write this line, I can hear the conspiracy folks cranking up in my mind. The family threw the crab back in the water because it was a female, not legal to keep. So this crab is back at the bottom of Puget Sound, unless someone else has caught it again. There is no crab to study or discredit.

I know this family. Their sons have played on the baseball teams that I coach. I trust them. As dad John Canfield told me "we're not that sophisticated" to come up with a hoax. In fact, he didn't even want to tell anyone what he thought he saw on the video until he shared it with his wife. I asked him about Photoshop. I asked him if the family drew the face on the crab and dropped it in the pot. John said "no," and I believe him.

Again, his wife sent me the photo because she thought I'd find it funny. We're Catholics. These things are funny to us. The Canfields are not claiming this is the face of Jesus.

And if you choose to comment on this photo, please limit your thoughts to what you see and do not go after the Canfields. They aren't making any claims. They just wanted to share an interesting photo.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
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Comments (25)


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  • fartforce1 wrote...
    The crab has a bad case of the Jesus.
    July 18, 2012 9:41 am
    I wonder what you would put on that?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    Jesus no Osama Bin Laden yes
    July 18, 2012 9:42 am
    Perhaps this crab feasted on Bin Ladens corpse and then by magic the image appeared.How did the crab taste?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • newsguysully wrote...
    From the newsroom: It wasn't eaten.
    July 18, 2012 9:44 am
    It is a female and had to be thrown back.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • astromart wrote...
    Jesus was a female?
    July 18, 2012 5:41 pm
    There you go - proof positive with photo and video
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    Jesus?
    July 18, 2012 11:05 am
    I think not! That is a Ted Nugent crab
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 12gauge_Steve wrote...
    Dare I say it...
    July 18, 2012 11:52 am
    At the risk of inciting another jihad or fahtwa, I must say that really looks like a Mohammed cartoon
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zagnut wrote...
    12 gauge Steve, you better pray to Allah that the Religion of Peace never sees your comment and never finds out who you are.
    July 18, 2012 5:12 pm
    Just saying.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Randy from Woodinville wrote...
    Pretty funny
    July 18, 2012 6:29 pm
    I thought what 12gauge said! Pretty sad that newsguysully had to put so many caveats into this report. It's interesting and made all the more believable by the fact that the family couldn't care less. AND the family was playing by the rules of the game by letting it go.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    About as real as Romney . . . .
    July 18, 2012 7:07 pm
    to be thrown back 11-6-12.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • tlmbrt wrote...
    @CH
    July 19, 2012 8:55 am
    It will be OSAMA that will be jettisoned.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Looks more like Osama Bin Laden from "Family Guy".
    July 18, 2012 7:31 pm
    http://www.freetheflash.com/videos/family-guy--osama-bin-laden.php
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    I hope no one is offended, and or that my comment is not deleted... BUT:
    July 18, 2012 8:59 pm
    I love how a reporter or some other media type "protects" those he/she knows but would throw the rest of us under the bus without a whimper.

    WITHOUT A WHIMPER!!!

    Double standard? No! Just human nature with a twist!

    Well, I guess that is a double standard, after all.

    Back on topic.

    I see all kinds of strange things in the clouds, tree branches and even flooring Yes, flooring! Common sense tells me it is just my personal interpretation of what I choose to see or think I see. Another explanation of "imagination".

    I agree, though. It is fun or even funny to point to something we see in nature and or man made materials and appoint it a label. But to think it has some sort of value or importance, is quite silly one would conclude....

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    Don't make fun of Jesus Christ 0-0 . . . .
    July 19, 2012 7:16 am
    or you will be catching crabs.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }