Eating Mermaids

History books claim what sailors were really seeing were manatees. The quote from Columbus' journal is always altered slightly depending on who's article is appears in. One such quote could be: "On the previous day when the Admiral went to the Rio del Oro he saw three mermaids which rose well out of the sea...they were not as beautiful as they are painted though they have something of a human face." The form of this statement leads us to believe that what they were actually referring to were manataees or dungons (manatees have spoon shaped tails and dungons tails look more like dolphins).

At one time manatees could easily be found in large groups lazily grazing around the coastline. --That was until they became hunted. Hunted for meat.

Mayan Indians of Guatemala called manatees "tek" and fequently dined on them. The meat was not only of good taste, but was also beleived to posessed supernatural powers. In fact the earbone was a special prize and was worn as a necklace to protect the wearer from evil.

Upon discovery, Spanish explorers also dined upon the manatees. Pirates who preyed upon the Spanish ships began hunting in large quantities and eating manatees. The Mayan had a special way of cooking manatees with a drying process and called it "bucan". The pirates became to rely upon this meat, hence being dubbed "bucanneers".

Manatees no longer play in the sun down the coastline of Mexico to Nicaragua. Years of hunting have led to large groups diminishing into much smaller groups, and instead of playing in the sun some have even become nocturnal. However, in a few spots in Florida you'll still find them out in the day -ready for play. Although illegal to even swim with, hunters still find it a "sport" to shoot these friendly creatures.

If you'd like to visit with a real manatee, visit "The Crystal River Florida Manatee Expidition", located in Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. You'll even see LIVE MERMAIDS! The area set for live interaction with manatees (give them belly rubs), sometimes is occupied by a couple of mermaids! Actually these mermaids can turn into human just like Ariel from "The Little Mermaid". These mermaids are real humans, who wear a beautiful mermaid tail and swim with the manatees.