An image shows a man posing next to what appears to be the skeletal remains of a mermaid. The caption tells us that these remains were unearthed in Bulgaria. Is this image real or fake?
The image is fake and the story is a hoax.
The photo was posted as an entry for an online graphic arts contest back in 2012 on the website Worth1000.com. First, let’s take a look at the claim being associated with this photo.
Ancient skeleton of a mermaid before the Flood 8 millenniums ago was found near Sozopol Beach by Professor Dimitrov. This “news” blew prostarnstvoto Internet. Zevzecite comment that vampires after Dimitrov’s time to start dealing with mermaids , writes Novinar.
The photo first appeared on the wall of a journalist Petar Genchev Facebook, but minutes after it is shared by dozens of others, impressed by the impressive growth of the former female fish.
The story circulating with the photo is a complete fabrication. It has been included with the image that was submitted to the Worth1000 contest called Archaeological Anomalies 13: Amazing archaeological discoveries! This contest asked graphic artists to submit images depicting imaginative fictional discoveries. The “mermaid skeleton” entry placed 6th.
Photo Comparison
Let’s take a look at how this image evolved. It started as an unaltered skeleton photo which was then manipulated to become the Worth1000 contest entry. That, in turn, was altered to become the fake Bulgarian “discovery” photo.
This is the original skeleton photo from which the contest entry was created. This Worth1000 contest entry used the original skeleton photo to create this fictional mermaid “discovery.”A man was added to the contest entry with a fake story that this mermaid skeleton was discovered in Bulgaria.
This isn’t the first image from Worth1000 to be passed off as real. We’ve seen other Worth1000 entries circulating which claim to show the world’s smallest cat, a horse with a coat which spells a word, and a golden snake.
Bottom Line
This mermaid skeleton image is fake. A real skeleton photo was altered for the Worth1000 contest in 2012. A man was later added to that contest entry photo to complete the “mermaid skeleton found in Bulgaria” hoax.
Sources
- Mermaid Skeleton Found! (Worth1000)