So, too, did the Gill-man from 1954’s “Creature From the Black Lagoon,” said to be inspired by stories of a half-human, half-fish monster living in jungle rivers.

Half-human, half-fish characters like mermaids are as old as human history but it wasn't until 1842 that a seemingly real example was seen in the U.S.

Learn more about early marine animal witness accounts that likely fed mermaid and other sea monster legends.

This week’s entry: Mythological Human Hybrids What it’s about: For as long as humans have been making up stories, we’ve been making up stories about creatures who are part-human, part-animal.

Creatures identified as "merfolk" (half-human, half-fish creatures who live in the sea, both male "mermen" and female "mermaids") have been a staple of folklore and mythology for many centuries.

1:B - As far as we know, mermaids aren’t real, but for a few thousand years, people have told stories of half-human, half-fish creatures. It’s possible they’re based on sea animals such as ...

Also on sale last week wereSea Faerie, a 16-inch winged-mermaid wall hanging for $3,000, and Human Fish, a humanlike head with fang teeth and a fish body for $2,000.

If you want to approach a half-human half-fish creature, or some sort of anthropomorphized fish monster, do so respectfully, and with the understanding that it may be new for you, but not for them ...

Long before Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid made a splash in 1837, cultures around the world had passed down stories of half-human, half-fish creatures. In 2012, Animal Planet leaned ...