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Promoted as a mermaid, the hapless
dugong (also known as a sea-cow or manatus), was stuffed and exhibited.
In their natural habitat the harmless and docile
dugongs would wallow peacefully
in the sheltered, isolated, shallow bays
around Aden feeding on seagrass.
Goodness knows why the crucifix was placed around
the neck of this dugong to the left.
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"The Merman of Aden" in the Red Sea was
exhibited in 1939 at the Ripley Odditorium.
Ripley was the creator of the famous "Believe It
or Not!" TV series.
Usually such fakes were the female type, like
the "Feejee Mermaid" exhibited by the great
showman P. T. Barnum (1810-1891). |
The text on the back of this postcard reads:
At RIPLEY ODDITORIUM
48th and Broadway, New York
MERMEN OF ADEN—the dugong, a rare sea mammal
with a most human-looking face, probably
inspired ancient tales of mermaids. In Aden on
the Red Sea, Mr. Ripley found a “merman” which
he judges to be a clever oriental fake, half
monkey, half fish.
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