Scientists Conduct CT Scan of a 130-Year-Old “Mermaid” Mummy and Discover It is Assembled from Fish, Monkey, and Reptile Parts.
The mummy is comprised of at least three different species. (Image: Norse Media).
The mummy was brought back from Japan by an American sailor and donated to the Clark County Historical Association in Springfield, Ohio, in 1906. With a terrifying face, strange teeth, an oversized jaw, a lower half resembling a fish with gray hair, this mummy has left a strong impression on visitors to the museum for decades. However, through X-ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging, researchers were able to determine its true nature for the first time, the Mail reported on October 24.
“This appears to be a composite made from at least three different species. The head and upper body are from a monkey, the hands seem to belong to a reptilian species similar to a crocodile or lizard. Finally, the tail belongs to an unknown fish species,” said Joseph Cress, a radiologist at Northern Kentucky University.
According to Natalie Fritz, a representative of the Clark County Historical Association, the mummy may date back to the 1870s as records indicate that the donor served in the U.S. Navy. Dr. Cress shared that the CT images will allow researchers to collect “slices” of the object and identify which parts come from which species. The data will be sent to experts at the Cincinnati Zoo and Newport Aquarium to assist in uncovering the origins of the mummy.
Research on the “Mermaid” mummy. (Image: Norse Media).
A similar mummy has been housed in the Enju-in temple in Asakuchi, Japan, for many years, measuring about 30 cm in length, with a furry upper body resembling a monkey, a scaly fish tail, and sharp teeth. In February 2022, a group of researchers at Kurashiki University of Science and Arts (KUSA) employed surface observation as well as X-ray and CT scan results of the mermaid mummy for analysis.
They found that the creature lacked bones, except for the jawbone. The upper body was covered with pufferfish skin, while the fish tail below was made of red fish skin. The hair on the creature’s head was from a mammal, and its jawbone came from a yet-to-be-identified carnivorous fish. The nails on the mummy’s fingers were animal keratin, possibly ground from some type of horn. Inside the mummy’s body, there was only fabric, paper, and cotton. The mummy’s surface was coated with a compound made by mixing coal dust or sand with paste and plaster.
