A mummified ‘mermaid’ said to grant immortality to whoever tastes its flesh will be probed by scientists in order to reveal its true nature.
The creature was allegedly caught in the Pacific Ocean, off the Japanese island of Shikoku, between 1736 and 1741, and is now kept in a temple in the city of Asakuchi.
With a grimacing face, pointed teeth, two hands, and hair on its head and brow, it has an eerily human appearance – except for its fish-like lower half.
