Fact Check: ‘Giant Bones of Hawaii’ are props made for 2017 film Kong: Skull Island

Hyderabad: A video allegedly showing the geolocation of an island in Hawaii containing giant bones is being widely shared on social media. Users claim that the bones in the video are real.

The same video was also spotted on Instagram. In the Instagram post, the user credited the source as Google Earth. We also found a similar video on YouTube Reel with the caption, “Giant Strange Creatures Sighted in HAWAII @kualoahi | OAHU #kong #oahu #hawaii. (sic)”

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false as the video shows Kualoa Ranch in Kaneohe, Hawaii, where movies are shot with massive film sets. Adventure films such as Jumanji, Jurassic Park, and Kong: Skull Island were filmed there.

As the Instagram post suggests, our investigation began by pinpointing Kualoa Ranch on Google Earth. This led us to the same place featured in the viral video. Google Earth marked the place as ‘Kualoa Ranch Expansive preserve, film site & park’. The images from the location showcased skulls and bones seen in the viral footage.

We also found a movie review report in the Seattle Times from March 9, 2017, which displayed the same skulls and bones depicted in the film Kong: Skull Island. The report, titled ‘Kong: Skull Island review: the creature feature, evolved’. The images of bones featured in the report are similar to the ones in the video.

Moreover, we found a photograph shared by Kualoa Ranch on its official Facebook page on March 5, 2018. The image featured similar giant bones, accompanied by the caption, “That’s some large bones! Who remembers what movie this is from?”

We also came upon the same image on a blog published on blog Homey Hawaii, dated February 2, 2021, under the title ‘Filmed in Hawaii- Kong: Skull Island (2017).’ In the blog, it is written that 'Shortly afterward, we were fortunate enough to spend some time in the company of some of the movie’s stars. But I’m not talking about Samuel L. Jackson or Brie Larson. While Kualoa Ranch also served the Jurassic Park movies, it’s actually Kong: Skull Island that has left behind a scattering of dinosaur fossils here.'

We also found an image of bones on a Reddit sub called r/Godzilla with the title, ‘I visited the Kong: Skull Island mass grave scene filming location.’ In the comments, the OP (original poster) wrote, “This was during the premier Hollywood movie site tour at Kualoa Ranch in Hawaii. It was quite fun and extremely worth it if you are a movie fan (especially Jurassic Park/World). I included more images here from the tour, including a size comparison of my hand and a tooth of one of Kong's fallen species. You also get to see a helicopter prop from the movie during the tour, but I don't have a picture.” The user also has more images of the movie set here.

Kualoa Ranch in Ka'a'awa, O'ahu, Hawaii is home to two scenes from the 2017 movie Kong: Skull Island, including the bone pit. The ranch has been used as a filming location for over 79 movies and TV shows, including Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Godzilla, and Jumanji.

Hence, we conclude that the bones in Hawaii in the viral video are not real and are from the 2017 movie Kong: Skull Island.