The imminent release of the film adaptation of the cartoon "The Little Mermaid" causes a lot of controversy over the appearance of the actress chosen for the main role. It's time to ask real scientists how such creatures living under water should look like.
Buzzfeed asked marine life evolution specialist Joseph Shaw of Indiana State University to describe what the cartoon's main character might look like if she lived in different parts of the world's oceans. Ariel, painted in 1989 by Disney artists, hails from the shallow waters of the Atlantic. She has light skin, red hair, and her neighbors are other similar creatures. But everything will be completely different when you live, for example, at a depth of five kilometers.
Inhabitants of the coral reef can boast of the most striking colors of all parts of their bodies among marine inhabitants. The little mermaid would not be an exception: since shallow water with crystal clear water will become a habitat, colored patterns on scales or skin can serve as both a disguise and a means of communication with relatives. In addition to color, coral mermaids will also be modest in size to effectively hide from the threat in the local flora.
Mermaids living in the open ocean will always move in a group, their bodies should be as smooth as possible, and their muscles should be strong. Also, their backs will become dark, and the parts of the body facing the bottom - light, to make it difficult for predators to detect. Oceanic relatives of Ariel will be the most sociable, because life in a close team is the only guarantee of their survival. In addition, they will also be the fastest.
In this picture, not albinos, but mermaids from the Arctic. Their bodies are full of subcutaneous fat, and their blood contains natural antifreeze. The color is as close as possible to the color of snow and ice, so that when approaching the surface, fabulous creatures do not become easily noticeable prey for bears, whales or birds. Moreover, polar mermaids will be the slowest of all - the metabolism “tuned” for maximum energy saving in icy waters will affect.
Promotional video:
The deep sea mermaid seemed to come from terrible nightmares. There is some truth in this thought - she lives almost without food, and also completely without light and in very cold water. These distant relatives of the cartoon heroine will have atrophied eyes, special sensitive processes, long teeth and some kind of bioluminescent bait for various fish.
Naturally, this is just an attempt by Joseph to show his daughter and other children, using specific examples, what adaptive mechanisms are found in nature. The scientist did not focus on many fabulous assumptions, primarily concerning the way of breathing of the Little Mermaid - judging by all the signs, she is not a mammal, but she also has no gills.
Author: Vasily Parfenov