Unknown creature found on UK beach, suspected to be a mermaid
According to the Daily Mail, a man recently claimed to have found a mermaid-like body on a beach in Norfolk, UK. Photos of the body were posted online, and many netizens believe that it is a legendary mermaid, while others compare it to characters in the Disney animation “The Little Mermaid”.
The man who found the mermaid-like body is named Paul Jones. He posted photos of the body on social media, saying, “Today at Great Yarmouth we came across what looks like a dead mermaid washed up on the beach.” The body had a human-shaped head and upper body, while the lower half was fish-like with a tail fin. The photos sparked intense discussions online, with 15,000 shares in just two days.
Many netizens believe that what Paul found is the legendary mermaid, while others think it may be a dolphin’s body because the local east coast is the habitat of grey dolphins.
However, there is a simpler explanation: the “remains” may be a hoax. Paul’s Facebook account shows that he is an avid model enthusiast, especially in creating some eerie models. On Facebook, there is a group called “Halloween and Horror DIY,” of which Paul is a member.
Descriptions of mermaids by humans can be traced back thousands of years. As early as 586 AD, Arab and Greek Plinians described mermaid images; in 1493, Columbus, who explored the New World, claimed to have seen three mermaids in the waters of Haiti. Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” had a significant impact on modern mermaid images.