Been a crazy weekend here, what with the Super Bowl, ACDC in town (as witnessed by thousands of peeps with little flashing red devil horns wandering around Nashville last night), and some serious Salsa dancing!! Gotta get in shape for the big reef adventure, you know!
So I promised I'd show you a picture of a mermaid, and uh, drum roll please - HERE SHE IS!
image: october_lee photobucket.com
Well, uh, ok, so the REALLY real ones look like this...
photo: Paulyd - flickr.com
Yeah, and, they're also known as sea cows, not exactly a flattering term to a mermaid...
But more realistic for sure. Actually these mammals, which breathe air and eat grass on the sea bed in warm waters (hence the name "cow"), are credited for the inception of the mermaid legends.
Sailors apparently, seeing them from above slipping through the waters, mistook them for half women and half fish (maybe a little too much rum??), and reports of them from the far seas began to trickle back to the civilized world. These mammals are also known as Dugongs (the Tagalog word for the sea cow).
There are a few thousand Dugong along the Great Barrier Reef, but they are found all over the world in temperate/tropical waters - where it is warm enough for sea grasses to grow. They belong to the order Sirenia and are related to Manatees. They live as long as humans, and can grow up to 9 feet long and weigh up to 880 pounds - so much for the vegetarian diet...
Aaannd, yep, some folks still believe in real mermaids. Check out the link below for the REALLY REALLY real photos of a mermaid (where are all the mermen, I wonder??)
http://www.jacksdivinglocker.com/new/mermaid.htm
SO, if you make it to the Great Barrier Reef, be on the look out for the legendary creatures - you might just find Ariel down there eating some leafy greens...
And if I make it down there, I promise to track one down for you and get a real-live photo of my own for ya!
NEXT TIME: What in the world is a wonky hole?
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