Scanned images decode the mystery of the 'Mermaid' mummy

Scientists took a CT scan of a nearly 130-year - old "Mermaid" mummy and discovered it was made from a fish, monkey and reptile.

The mummy was made from at least three different animals. Photo: Norse Media — The mummy was made from at least three different animals. 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, strange teeth, oversized jaw, fish-like lower body with gray hair, the mummy has impressed museum visitors for decades. However, through X-rays and CT scans, researchers were able to determine its true nature for the first time, the Mail reported on October 24 .

"It appears to be a composite of at least three different species. The head and torso appear to be from a monkey, the hands appear to be from a reptile like a crocodile or lizard, and the tail appears to be from an unknown fish," said Joseph Cress, a radiologist at Northern Kentucky University.

Natalie Fritz, a representative of the Clark County Historical Society, said the mummy could date back to the 1870s because records show the donor served in the US Navy. Dr. Cress said the CT scan will allow researchers to take “slices” of the object and determine what animal its parts came from. The data will be sent to experts at the Cincinnati Zoo and Newport Aquarium to help determine the mummy’s origins.

Research on Mermaid mummies. Photo: Norse Media — Research on the "Mermaid" mummy. Photo: *Norse Media*

A similar mummy, which has been housed in the Enju-in Temple in Asakuchi, Japan, for many years, is about 30 cm long, has a hairy monkey-like upper body, a scaly fish 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 of the mermaid mummy to analyze it.

They found that the creature had no bones except for its jaw. The upper body was covered in puffer fish skin, while the lower tail was made of red-spotted fish skin. The fur on the creature's head was mammalian, while its jawbone came from an unidentified carnivorous fish. The nails on the mummy's fingers were animal keratin, possibly ground from some kind of horn. Inside the mummy's body were only cloth, paper, and cotton. The body was covered in a mixture of powdered coal or sand, paste, and plaster.

An Khang (According to Mail )

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