Manatee and Mermaids

Manatees were the real source behind the mermaid sightings claimed by early mariners. They often mistook the manatee for a mermaid because of its almost human form in the water, with the exception of its fish-shaped tail. Mermaids were reportedly sighted on Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the Americas in 1492, although the sailors probably just caught a faint glimpse of a Caribbean manatee swimming near their ships.

As a result of this link to early mermaid legends, the manatee has been honoured with the scientific order name Sirenia – sirens of the sea.

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