Folklore is full of tales of sea creatures like mermaids, krakens and sea monsters. Although mermaids are fictional, many of their sightings are not entirely made-up - they're actually manatees (Metazooa answer #345)! 

Mermaids take on many forms in different mythologies, but one of the most common is the half-fish, half-human you might call to mind when thinking of The Little Mermaid, or Peter Pan. Manatees, on the other hand, are large, aquatic mammals with two flippers and a paddle shaped tail. Mermaids date back centuries, with one of the first legends coming from Syria in 1000 BC.

How exactly does a manatee get mistaken for a mermaid, you may wonder? Ask Christopher Columbus, who claimed to have spotted three mermaids in the late 15th century, in what ended up being the first recorded manatee sighting in North America. He claimed the mermaids were “not so beautiful as they are said to be.”

Mistaking manatees for mermaids may not be as far fetched as it sounds. Sailors in the open ocean were facing low visibility and unfamiliar landscapes, and experiencing fatigue, dehydration, and loneliness on long voyages. In those conditions, the far-away glimpse of a manatee tail or head peering out of the waves could have easily been misidentified as the mythological mermaid.

Manatees may share their silhouettes with mermaids, but they are more closely related to elephants and wooly mammoths than humans. Manatees are herbivores, and have been called “sea cows” because of the many hours they spend grazing on sea grasses and other aquatic plants. They are strong swimmers, using their big tails to propel themselves (much like mermaids).

The manatee-mermaid phenomenon is an insight into the intersection of human perception and folklore. In spite of what we know now about these gentle sea creatures, tales of mermaids continue to enchant us.

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