Delhi, February 20: A mummified 'mermaid' that had remained a mystery for scientists for hundreds of years after it was found has finally been solved. The small blackened Mummy which resembles a monkey-mermaid hybrid worshipped in southern Japan’s Enjuin temple for decades as according to legend, it has the power to grant immortality.

The Mummy has now been kept in a temple in Asakuchi. Researchers have now after nearly 300 years concluded that the creature is made of paper, cloth, cotton, and fish parts, the Dailymail reported. The Mystery Lady! Scientists Reconstruct Face of 'World's First Pregnant Egyptian Mummy' Who Died 2000 Years Ago With Unborn Baby (View Tweet).

The 12-inch-long creature was allegedly caught in the Pacific Ocean off the island of Shikoku between 1736 and 1741. Measuring 30cm tall, the 'mermaid' has two hands reaching up towards an eerily looking face. Creepy Creature With Sharp Teeth Found Dead on Crystal Beach! Netizens Call The Strange Eel-Like Animal 'Straight Outta The Depths Of Hell'; See Viral Pics.

The creatures hair is still visible on its head and it has the remains of sharp, pointy teeth in its mouth, while its body gives way to a distinctly fish-like tail. Legend says the creature grants immortality to anyone who tastes its flesh.

However, researchers have now found that most of the upper body of the creature was actually made from cloth, paper, and cotton, though pufferfish skin was used on the arms, shoulders, neck, and cheeks.

X Rays conducted by the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts to probe its origins revealed that the creature's hair is mammalian in origin, its nails were made from animal keratin, and the jaws were taken from an unknown carnivorous fish.

Scientists said the lower half of the body comes from a fish's tail - but believe it was added by whoever created it. Its jaw and teeth were taken from a fish and its arms, shoulders, neck, and cheeks are covered with fish skin. The lower part of its body also contained fish bones.

Hiroshi Kinoshita said that the creature could have been manufactured at some point during the Edo period, an era of Japanese history from 1603 to 1867.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 20, 2023 05:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).