The Feejee Mermaid replica sparks interest in 19th century science hoaxes

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado is displaying a replica of a Feejee Mermaid as part of a temporary exhibit on mythic creatures.

The museum features the creature as part of a collection that explores the intersection of folklore and science. While modern audiences often associate mermaids with alluring figures from fairy tales, this specific specimen appeared as a grotesque hybrid of a monkey and a fish.

The exhibit reflects how these creatures served as subjects for public debate regarding evolution and the classification of living things. The creature originated as a traditional art form in Japan and the East Indies over 400 years ago. A Japanese fisherman created the Feejee Mermaid in the early 19th century, claiming he caught the specimen. American showman P.T. Barnum later promoted the creature as a scientific curiosity in Manhattan between 1841 and 1865.

He used pamphlets and fake letters to convince the public that the mermaid was a missing link in the evolutionary chain between aquatic and terrestrial life. When the public visited the American Museum, they were surprised to find a small, distorted specimen instead of a beautiful creature. Barnum described the object as a black, three foot long specimen that appeared to have died in agony. The current replica in Colorado belongs to the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

The museum notes that the original specimen was likely destroyed in a fire at one of the museums where it was previously housed.