Discovery Channel aired Mermaids: The Body Found last night and it seems it got a lot of people (No. 1 on Google Trends) wondering if the mythical sea creatures could be real, particularly thanks to a scene showing a boy finding a freaky creature on the beach.
If it seemed more horror story than science documentary, that's because the clip is not real, folks.
In describing the show, Discovery says, "What if there's a kernel of truth behind the legend of this mythic creature? Is the idea of mermaids really so far-fetched? Maybe so, maybe not. The show itself, though science fiction, is based on some real events and scientific theory."
Scientific theory means it's staged.
The two-hour special aired on Animal Planet in May and admitted to using an actor to "discover" the body. The program aired first in Australia, where it was originally debunked.
But just in case you're still not convinced, the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization, put a statement on its website a few weeks ago saying, "No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found."
