Mermaid by Pascal Blanche
I’ve been a fan of cryptozoology since I was a little kid. So the other day, when my husband happened upon a documentary on the Discovery Channel about scientists finding the remains of an unknown sea creature, I was intrigued. These scientists claimed the remains, which they found in the stomach of a shark, included a strange tail flipper, a partial humanoid skull with large eye sockets and a cranial ridge, and the hilt of a hand carved weapon. Basically, they had found a mermaid. The show was two hours long and included eye witness accounts, photos, DNA testing and other substantial proof that an intelligent, humanoid marine creature existed.
So I was very disappointed the next day while Googling the title of the show, when I discovered that there was a disclaimer at the beginning of the “documentary” (we came into the show after it had already started and didn’t see it) that stated, “this two hour special is science fiction based on some real events and scientific theory.”
Mermaid by Gonzalo Ordonez Arias
The scientists featured were really actors. The only evidence presented in the show that I know isn’t completely fabricated is the “Bloop” caught on sonar in the south Pacific Ocean.
I feel duped and I know I’m not the only one. On Sunday the 15th, “mermaid body found” was the number one search term on Google.
Even though this show was a faux-umentary, it doesn’t necessarily mean a creature like that doesn’t exist. Remember the coelacanth? It was believe to be extinct since the Cretaceous, only to be found off the coast of Africa in 1938. The oceans are vast, largely unexplored areas where anything could exist. Based on that, and some artists’ amazing talent and imagination, I give you a gallery of amazing underwater creations.
