Scanned images unravel the mystery of the 'Mermaid' mummy.

In the US, scientists have taken CT scans of a nearly 130-year-old "mermaid" mummy and discovered it was a composite of fish, monkey, and reptile.

The mummy was assembled from at least three different animal species. Photo: Norse Media

The mummy was brought back from Japan by an American sailor and donated to the Clark County Historical Society in Springfield, Ohio, in 1906. With its terrifying face, bizarre teeth, oversized jaw, and fish-like lower half covered in gray hair, the mummy has made a strong impression on museum visitors for decades. However, through X-rays and CT scans, researchers have for the first time been able to determine its true nature, the Mail reported on October 24 .

"It appears to be a composite of at least three different species. The head and upper body are from a monkey, the hands seem to be from a reptile resembling an alligator or lizard. Finally, the tail belongs to an unknown species of fish," said Joseph Cress, a radiologist at Northern Kentucky University.

According to Natalie Fritz, a representative of the Clark County Historical Society, the mummy may date back to the 1870s because records show the donor served in the U.S. Navy. Dr. Cress shared that CT scans will allow researchers to collect "slices" of the object and determine which animal its parts came from. The data will be sent to experts at the Cincinnati Zoo and Newport Aquarium to aid in determining the mummy's origins.

Research on the "Mermaid" mummy. Photo: Norse Media

A similar mummy lay in the Enju-in temple in Asakuchi City, Japan, for many years. Measuring approximately 30 cm in length, it had a hairy, monkey-like upper body, a scaly, fish-like tail, and sharp teeth. In February 2022, a team of researchers at Kurashiki University of Science and Arts (KUSA) used surface observations, as well as X-ray and CT scans, to analyze the mermaid mummy.

They found the creature had no bones, except for the jawbone. The upper half of its body was covered in pufferfish skin, while the tail underneath was made of red snapper skin. The hair on the creature's head was mammalian fur, and its jawbone came from an unidentified carnivorous fish. The fingernails of the mummy were animal keratin, possibly polished from some kind of horn. Inside the mummy's body were only cloth, paper, and cotton. The mummy's body was coated with a compound made by mixing coal dust or sand with paste and plaster.

An Khang (According to Mail )

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