The ocean harbors many mysterious creatures within its depths, some of which us humans have a hard time imagining. Fish born blind because of the utter darkness they live in, oddly-shaped gelatinous beings with poisonous tentacles, and prey with camouflage technology are just a few that spring to mind. There are most likely things living in the Mariana Trench–waters so deep that so far only one man has successfully navigated to the bottom–that would make a sane person run screaming for the hills after one glance.
Because there’s so much of the Earth’s water supply that hasn’t been navigated yet, it’s easy to imagine that other creatures–mythical ones, even–dwell at the depths of our oceans, and one of the most popular myths is that of the mermaid. A sea siren who appears to lure sailors to their watery deaths, the mermaid has roots in Greek mythology and is often depicted as a beautiful, young, half-nude lady with a shimmering fish tail. However, there are those who believe the mermaid has a much darker origin and isn’t quite as pretty.
A new documentary called “Mermaids: The Body Found” aired on Animal Planet this weekend and explores these myths, as well as never-been-released footage which was allegedly captured on a cell phone and shows a teenage boy prodding a finned-creature on the beach, only to have it rear up and roar at him. While it’s true we don’t know everything about what the sea holds, the footage looks more like a viral marketing campaign for a film than it does anything else. With so many movies out in recent years touting “found footage”, this video would be perfect for the next installment. Take a look and let us know what you think in the comments below.
