This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

No, no one left a 25-ton whale in a Farmington farmer's field.

But "truth" doesn't necessarily apply to the satirical news site World News Daily Report, which posted such a story on Friday, complete with photos. As their "news report" goes, a dairy farmer named Michael Woodson found the 12-meter-long humpback whale laying lifeless on his property, and figured some neighborhood kids left it there "as a creepy prank."

Naturally, a search of a public records database shows no such Michael Woodson living in Farmington.

"The [Farmington police] rapidly dismissed the possibility however, as no traces of vehicles or machinery large enough to carry it were found anywhere near the animal," the story reads. "The police admits that they are almost clueless at the moment as to how the marine mammal found its way on Mr. Woodson's property."

World News Daily Report's story throws speculation about UFOs into the mix as well, because of course they do.

A Davis County dispatcher confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that, no, there was no whale — but they did receive a bunch of calls from people who saw the story.

- Michael McFall

Twitter: @mikeypanda