He has a mysterious and malicious appearance Mermaid Preliminary scans indicate that the mummy, which was returned to the United States from Japan more than 100 years ago, appears to be a mixture of fish, monkey and lizard parts joined together like Frankenstein’s monster.
The haunting mummy, which measures about 11.5 inches (29 cm) long, is known as the “Fiji Mermaid” due to its resemblance to an object of the same name. It was supposedly obtained from Fiji by the controversial showman P. T. Barnum in the 1840s. The mummy was purchased in Japan by an American naval officer who donated it to the Clark County Historical Society in Springfield, Ohio, in 1906. Documents submitted to the society with the mummy indicate that it dates back to the mid-19th century.
Now, for the first time, researchers have verified the mermaid’s identity through an operation X ray And CT scan On the shaggy remains.
“This allowed us to see (the mummy) in almost all its dimensions and hopefully see what is inside,” said the project leader Joseph ChrisA radiologist at Northern Kentucky University told Live Science:
Related: Are there any mythical creatures that have not been debunked?
Initial investigation concluded that the mummy appeared to be made of the head and torso of A monkey It was sewn to A.’s body Fishwhile the mermaid’s hands are the clawed legs of a lizard – Most likely a Komodo dragon (Varanus commodensis), Chris told Live Science.
Chris said the scans also revealed a pair of wooden stakes inside the remains — one running from head to tail and the other across the shoulders — which were supposedly added to keep the creature safe.
The researchers are currently trying to reconstruct a more detailed model of the mermaid and its individual parts through their scans. Once the models are complete, the team plans to send them to zoos and aquariums to help identify components at the species level.
And this isn’t the only stuffed mermaid to have undergone extensive examinations recently.
In March 2022, researchers Analyze a similar sample Which was discovered in a hidden chest in a Japanese temple. Researchers initially speculated that this nymph, which measures 12 inches (30.5 cm) long and dates from the mid-18th century, was also a hybrid between an ape and a fish. But subsequent scans last February revealed that the mummy was Mostly made of cloth, paper and cottonCoated with sand and charcoal and held together with metal pins. Various animal parts, including mammalian hair and fish skin, were adhered to the outside of the doll.
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Both nymphs closely resemble “ningyo” – mythical fish-like creatures with human heads. In Japanese mythology, legend says that a woman lived for 800 years after eating one of these fantastical monsters, and so these creatures became a symbol of longevity. So it’s possible that the hunters made the hidden concoctions to sell to wealthy people seeking to prolong their lives, Live Science previously reported.
