Why were manatees mistaken for mermaids?

The manatee is a sirenian—an order of aquatic mammals that includes three species of manatees and their Pacific cousin, the dugong. The ocean's largest herbivore, sirenians are also notable as the creatures that have long fueled mermaid myths and legend across cultures. read more

With forelimbs containing five sets of fingerlike bones, and neck vertebrae that allow them to turn their heads, it's possible that manatees could be mistaken for humans from afar. Following Columbus's expedition to the Americas, sideshows in Europe advertised "recently discovered" mermaids from the new world, often a deceased sirenian. read more

Because lots of people really want to believe that mermaids actually exist. When somebody mistakes a manatee for a mermaid, they are indulging in confirmation bias: They are seeing what they want to see, rather than making an accurate observation. read more

Yet it’s a common enough mistake that the scientific name for manatees and dugongs is Sirenia, a name reminiscent of mythical mermaids. Even today there are false mermaid sightings. After a fake documentary special on mermaids aired on Animal Planet in 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was flooded with calls from people asking for the truth about mermaids. read more