Were NASA Documents Leaked About 'Life On Europa' And What Is The 'Europan Hookmouth?' The Viral Hoax Explained

When memes enter "hoax territory," the result is not always amazing. However, a recent hoax about life on Europa (a.k.a. one of Jupiter's moons) has captivated people online, mostly because it suggests that NASA documents were leaked about the Europan hookmouth, a whale-like creature which lives in the subsurface ocean of the distant, planet-like object.

Aliens, extraterrestrials and UFOs have been top-of-mind as of late, so the idea that there's a fish on a moon in the solar system seemed believable. There was enough curiosity floating around that some people believed the hoax that they saw on Reddit and 4chan.

Inherently, the internet at large is entirely curious, wanting to know if that dead archive link in the original SpongeBob meme is real. Let's explain.

Were 'Life On Europa' Documents Leaked?

The short answer is, no, or at least, probably not. What the internet does know is that it all started with one meme that followed the oh that's real nice meme template and it was posted to Reddit earlier this week. At the bottom of the meme is a faint link that can be read when looked at closely. Unfortunately, the link leads to nothing, which of course generated skepticism.

The meme was reposted to multiple subreddits in the days that followed, including ones that centered on Schizoposting and paranormal happenings. This included 4chan's /x/ board, where an anon posted what they claimed was an excerpt from the leaked NASA document. It read:

NASA JPL Release – Discovery of an Alien Fish on Europa

Pasadena, CA – NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has announced a groundbreaking discovery during its mission to study the icy moon Europa in the outer solar system. Using data collected by the Europa Clipper spacecraft, scientists have found evidence of a unique aquatic organism living in the subsurface ocean of Europa.

The organism, provisionally named "Europian piscis," is a fish-like creature measuring between 1 and 2 meters in length. Its elongated body is covered with iridescent scales, and it has two prominent fins that allow it to swim gracefully through the frigid waters of Europa's ocean.

The discovery of Europian piscis is a significant development in the search for life beyond Earth. Until now, scientists had only detected microbial life forms in the subsurface oceans of other worlds. The existence of a complex organism such as Europian piscis suggests that Europa's ocean may be capable of supporting a more diverse range of life forms.

Europian piscis appears to be adapted to the extreme conditions of Europa's ocean. Its streamlined shape and flexible fins allow it to move efficiently through the water.

As of right now, these claims from random internet users are the only pieces of evidence that the world has. Therefore, it's more likely that the Europan hookmouth is a complete and utter hoax.

What Is A 'Europan Hookmouth?'

If one is to take the allegedly leaked NASA document at face value, the Europan hookmouth is a fish-like creature that's one to two meters in length and lives in the subsurface ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa. This description matches the original photo present in the original meme, but some on the website Newgrounds are claiming that the picture of the hookmouth is just a cropped version of a video game cover.

For the full history of life on Europa leaked documents and the Europan hookmouth hoax, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.