Scientists finally reveal what bizarre ‘mermaid' that was discovered in 1906 actually is

Scientists are trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of a mer-monkey 'mummy' which has left people baffled for over a century.

The bizarre-looking creature was brought back from Japan in 1906 by a sailor and donated to the County Historical Society in Springfield, Ohio.

Naturally, it's come under scrutiny from scientists, continuing to be tested and analysed to try and figure out what on earth it actually is. Prepare for some Halloween house decor inspo:

The Ohio 'mummy' looks similar to the one found in the Okayama's Enjuin Temple that had a mysterious note attached to it and was said to grant immortality to anyone who eats it.

You'd have thought one terrifying mer-money knocking about was strange enough, never mind two.

Now, scientists have figured out what this latest hideous 'mermaid' creature actually is.

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Natalie Fritz from the Clark County Historical Society believes the 1906 finding is actually a 'Fiji mermaid'.

A popular attraction in sideshows - such as that of PT Barnum, who inspired 2017 movie The Greatest Showman - the Fiji mermaid is an object made of half a monkey and half a fish, sewn together.

Fritz explains: "Fiji Mermaids were a part of collections and sideshows in the late 1800s. We've heard some stories from people in the community.

“Some remember seeing it on display in Memorial Hall, the home of the historical society from 1926 to 1986."

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Doctor Joseph Cress, a radiologist at Northern Kentucky University, thinks the object is 'a hodgepodge of at least three different species externally'.

He explains: "There’s the head and torso of a monkey, the hands seem to be that of an amphibian almost like an alligator, crocodile or lizard of some sort.

"And then there’s that tail of a fish - again, species unknown. It is obviously fashioned, almost Frankensteined together - so I want to know what parts were pulled together."

In order to figure out whether the remains are actually made up of real animals, scientists will use CT scanning to retrieve more 'data' on areas such as the nasal and ear cavity.

Dr Cress resolves: "We’re doing that to all parts of this Fiji mermaid, not just the head and facial region, but also the thoracic region, and then that tail end."

Experts at Cincinnati Zoo and the Newport Aquarium will then analyse the data and hopefully finally give us some proper answers.

Topics: Animals, World News, Science, US News, Social Media

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.