Scientists reveal secret of how 'monkey fish' were made

ca. 1860, [carte de visite portrait of a “Monkey Fish of Japan", one of many of such specimens created during the 18th and 19th centuries. This particular “merman" was later purchased by P.T. Barnum and shown at the Chinese and Japanese Warehouse on Regent Street in London], Gush and Fergusson

An investigation by St George's University and Horniman Museum in London has finally revealed how mermen and mermaid relics (sometimes referred to as monkey fish) may have been made.

They are thought to have been made by fishermen in Japan and East Asia and were bought by sailors as good luck charms or by circus entertainers to display as curiosities.

Early 20th Century scientists were baffled by the specimens, with some claiming them to be mummified mermaids.

They were later believed to be made from the head and body of a monkey sewn on to the tail of a fish, giving rise to the term "monkey fish".

It was not until March 2011 that an X-ray of the Horniman merman (affectionately known as Herman), revealed that the monkey half was in fact made from papier mache.

Using a combination of CT scans, microscopy, X-radiography and 3D printing, the research team have finally managed to piece together exactly how Herman was made.

Dr James Moffatt, a physiology lecturer at St George's University in London, explains the process.