Popularly known as the mermaid, the aquatic humanoid is a fabled half-human and half-fish creature that has been widely depicted in literary works from around the world. The marine creature has the head, trunk, and arms of a young woman and a lower part like the tail of a fish. Mermaids are usually depicted to be beautiful and charming.

In July 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an official statement denying the existence of mermaids. "No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found," the statement reads. "Why, then, do they occupy the collective unconscious of nearly all seafaring peoples? That's a question best left to historians, philosophers, and anthropologists."