A photo that has gone viral allegedly featuring a big cat is a fake.

No surprise, you might think.

But it certainly came as surprise to the original photographer, a 14-year-old Mornington girl.

Maddison posted the original photo on a local Facebook group to demonstrate what she considered to be some dodgy roadwork.

From there, someone has photoshopped in a strange looking black shape and set the internet — and big cat believers — into a tizz (altered image above, original below).

Click PLAY to hear from Maddison with Ross and John