A mysterious "mermaid"-like mummy has given people the creeps and scientists are set to figure out exactly what the weird creature is.
The mummified entity, brought back to shore and donated to the Clark County Historical Society in Ohio, United States, back in 1906, will be analysed by experts. Boffins are bringing a series of tests to the "Frankensteined" body, which has unnerved people for too long. Oversized claws, a grimacing face and a fish-like lower half covered in a drape of long, grey hair, has puzzled experts.
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X-rays and CT scans were carried out for the first time on the figure which has been kicking around the Springfield-based museum for over a century.
Joseph Cress, a radiologist at Northern Kentucky University, said: "It seems to be a hodgepodge of at least three different species externally. 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." The alleged monkey-crocodile hybrid could have been made to fit the "Fiji mermaid" legend.
Legendary mermaids were worshipped throughout Japan, with one in Asakuchi found to be made of cloth, paper, fish scales and animal hair. Tests are underway to see just what this body could be.
Dr Cress added: "Fiji Mermaids were a part of collections and sideshows in the late 1800s. Some remember seeing it on display in Memorial Hall, the home of the historical society from 1926 to 1986."
A CT scan and series of tests are underway to figure out if this mermaid find is the real deal or just a horrific collection of animal parts wrapped in paper. The doctor believes picking out "slices" of the artefact will be enough to confirm the origins of the "mermaid".
He added: "By doing that it gives us more data. Do those nostrils continue up into what we think is a legitimate nasal cavity, and how deep do they go? Because we can see it front to back and even side to side.
"So 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." Results will be sent off to Cincinnati Zoo and the Newport Aquarium for further help in identifying the creatures.
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