The secret of the mermaid mummy revealed after almost 200 years: Turns out she was on a really long vacation!

Suddenly a mermaid mummy appeared, frightening the scientists and making them flee.

This is a well-travelled creature: just in August 2006, we received the photographs shown above with messages claiming that they depicted a mermaid (or a sea monster, or an alien) found in Campeche (Mexico), Venda (South Africa ), Cebu. (Philippines) and Swaziland.

The correct answer here, however, is “none of the above”: these are images of a maquette created by artist Juan Cabana, offered for sale in a misleading online auction (no longer available) and advertised with an elaborate backstory about the seller encountering the “mermaid or sea monster” while “exploring desolate areas of Fort Desoto Beach at the southern end of St.

Petersburg, Florida.” (The same seller has offered other items of equally dubious reputation, such as a “UFO Time Traveler with Authentic Organic ALIEN Corpses” (no longer available), which looked uncannily similar to the stingray carcass he had just purchased from another seller on eBay.)

Descriptions of mermaids as tiny, frightening creatures with very attractive female upper bodies and fish-like tails are tied to a staple of folklore and mythology for many centuries. Although the modern popular image has not always been the standard.

Mermaids have appeared in stories, artwork, travelogues, and side shows. Although many of these manufactured mermaids date from that era, the most famous example was the “Feejee Mermaid” (also known as the “Fiji Mermaid” or “FeeJee Mermaid”), a grotesque creature supposedly “caught [by Japanese fishermen] from the coast”. Feejee Islands, and preserved in China” before being purchased by a certain Dr. J. Griffin, acting as agent of the Lyceum of Natural History, London, in 1842:

Those who are in love with the supernatural, the unknown and the patently strange may be familiar with the Fiji mermaid from famous showman PT Barnum. The haunting fossilized creature, which Barnum claimed to have purchased from a Japanese fisherman in the mid-1840s, has been a popular attraction for nearly two centuries, with many claiming the creature proves the existence of mermaids in folklore. Unfortunately for true believers, a recent Yahoo Lifestyle article has debunked this claim, with scientists confirming that the fossil is actually a Frankenstein amalgamation of a lizard, a monkey, and a fish.

The Fiji mermaid is made of a lizard, a monkey and a fish

Although the creature has been built well enough to fool ticket buyers for longer than any of us have been alive, it seems hard to believe that no one has confirmed it before. After all, once you get a good look at the Fiji mermaid after hearing this news, it will become all you can see at the famous attraction. The head and torso of the reconstructed artificial monstrosity are from a small monkey grafted onto the body of an ordinary fish, while the fists with extended claws protruding from the creature belong to a Komodo dragon.

The pieces were preserved and sewn

The research team responsible for dissecting the Fiji mermaid was led by radiologist Joseph Kress of Northern Kentucky University. Through a series of advanced autopsy processes, including the deterioration. .

Since the initial purchase of this creature in the mid-19th century, many imitators have been built into other side attractions, including those made from paper mache and basic office supplies.

Japanese Ningyo theory debunked

A Fijian mermaid said to have been discovered in a Japanese temple last year was also recently debunked. The newly discovered creature turned out to be nothing more than convincingly crafted paper, cotton and cloth, forming a haunting representation of the mythological Ningyo voodoo doll from Japanese folklore. Like the mermaids in traditional sailor tales, Japanese Ningyo are said to be fish-like humanoids, representing longevity and wealth in Japanese culture.

the investigation is ongoing

While many audiences have been quick to spot imperfections and inconsistencies in Fiji’s mermaid-copycat creations over the years, the origins of PT Barnum’s original model have baffled crowds since the exhibition’s inception. According to Kress and his team of scientists, researchers have planned additional tests designed to determine the exact species of fish, monkeys and lizards from which the creature is constructed, with plans to reach out to local zoos and aquariums to court the experience of animals.

There is no evidence of the existence of a mermaid… yet

Although this discovery seems to suggest that no humanoid mermaids have been discovered in any genuine way on Earth, scientific discoveries always have new and wonderful findings to offer. Those disappointed by the deconstruction of the Fiji mermaid may find solace in a number of recent discoveries, such as the alien world hidden within the Earth’s mantle or the recent discovery of 100,000-year-old mammoth bones.