The headline “Strange Body Discovered on English Coast: 200-Year-Old Mermaid Washed Ashore” is a sensationalized and fictional claim with no basis in reality. Mermaids are creatures of mythology and folklore, and there has never been any credible evidence, either scientific or archaeological, to suggest they ever existed. Such claims are a form of modern folklore or hoaxes designed to capture public imagination.

The idea of a “mermaid” washing ashore is often rooted in the misidentification of real marine animals. Historically, sailors on long voyages would sometimes mistake manatees or dugongs for mermaids. These gentle marine mammals, with their large bodies, human-like eyes, and single fluke-like tail, could be misperceived, especially from a distance. The remains of these creatures, however, are unequivocally those of mammals and bear no anatomical resemblance to the half-human, half-fish structure of a mermaid.

Furthermore, hoaxes involving “mermaids” have a long and documented history. The most famous example is the “Fiji mermaid,” a gruesome doll-like object constructed from the torso and head of a monkey sewn onto the back half of a fish, which was exhibited by P.T. Barnum in the 19th century. Similar mummified “mermaids” have appeared throughout history, only to be later debunked as elaborate fakes. The claim of a 200-year-old mermaid is simply a modern iteration of this ancient practice, designed to create intrigue where there is only fiction.