Japanese farmers are growing square watermelons. Why? They pack better than round ones, and the fit better in their small refrigerators, and they take up less space.
Are they genetically modified? No. They just turn out to be square if you make them grow inside a square tempered glass cases while they are still on the vine.
Why we don’t see them in the United States? According to CNN back in 2001, one watermelon costs about the equivalent of $82. So they probably do not sell well here. But in 2010, NPR did report of a Panama fruit company shipping some square watermelons to New York. They mentioned that it costs $75 a piece.
Is this for real? Or did someone altered the photographs? It is for real. Besides being reported on CNN and NPR, it was also reported on BBC. Snopes.com, which often debunks urban legends, also says the photographs are real.