For thousands of years in mythology, mermaids have existed. The myth came around 1000 B.C. when a Syrian goddess jumped into a lake in attempt to turn into a fish. Instead the goddess was to beautiful, so only her bottom half was transformed. Every since that original story, many more have been born all around the world. Even famous explorer Christopher Columbus claimed to have seen a mermaid near Haiti in 1493, describing them as “not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look like men” (according to the American Museum of natural History). Although we can all have trust in Columbus, analysts believe that what he actually saw could be big mammals like a manatee.
Most recent evidence of this myth was released by Animal Planets new special for Monster Week, Mermaids The New Evidence. The show immediately started new trends on twitter while people all over the world continued to share their opinion on this debate. The show began by displaying apparently more new evidence of the existence of mermaids. Following that was a scene of two grown men on a bot holding on for their life. While this as going on a mermaid looking creature jumped out of the water starring at the camera. ALthough one scientist claimed that the creature was a seal, Animal Planet remained constant with their interpretation that it was a mermaid. Despite all the hype in Animal Planets new show, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated that ” No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found. Why then do they occupy the collective unconscious of nearly all seafaring peoples? That’s a question best left to historians, philosophers and anthropologists.” Despite this statement, people continued to keep an open mind on twitter.
So do mermaids exist? I can give you four reason to believe why they do not. The first reason is simple, we have no physical evidence of them! Second, we cant just pick and choose what a mermaid is suppose to look like. Although we wish mermaids came of as a beautiful women with a fish like tail, it is just simply not possible. Mammals are defined as warm blooded creatures with hair. How is an animal suppose to have both mammal and fish characteristics? Third, they would be extinct by this time. How are they suppose to reproduce? Maybe like us humans do, but that would mean internal fertilization. The other option would be external like fish do, but could mermaids even lay eggs? There are to many unanswered questions. Finally, how would they go to the bathroom? Mammals digest their food through a complex digestive tract. Fish only have one simple intestine, while humans have large and small intestines. So could you really have a mammalian digestive tract leading into a fish oriented digestive end?
The debate will continue to go on for centuries, but ultimately I wouldn’t wait on the evidence to magically appear sooner than later.
http://deepseanews.com/2013/10/fishful-thinking-five-reasons-why-mermaids-cant-physically-exist/
I agree with Danielle, whales and dolphins are mammals and they live in the ocean perfectly. I have to say that sometimes the humanity is not ready for this kind of discovery. This myth is been going for so many generations and even though we don`t have evidence doesn`t mean they don`t exist or didn`t exist. Also think about evolution and how different species had to adapt to what was happening on the planet. Another fact is that Earth is made of 71% of salted water, and we have not explored all, but with the new technology is probably that we will soon solve this mystery till then we need to have an open mind.
whales and dolphins are mammals that live in the ocean with fish-like qualities and are able to reproduce and digest food.