Is the existence of a merfolk species scientifically possible? This is an extremely complicated question that I will do my best to answer through researching the theorised anatomy of these creatures. A mermaid or merman is an aquatic creature said to have an upper body resembling that of a human and a lower body resembling that of a fish or dolphin. Some people theorise that the upper body of the creature is identical to that of a human with the lower part of the body holding no internal organs. Others theorise that the system of the body runs through the whole creature and it has an anatomy similar to that of a dolphin. So if we imagine this is the case, the internal function is plausible enough.

Now if we turn our attention to how the reproductive system of a merperson functions, there is still no definitive answer. Some say they reproduce similar to dolphins, belly to belly. A male dolphins penis comes out of it's forward genital slit when it has an erection. The penis then enters the female's one genital slit in order to mate. Dolphins have a gestation period that lasts 12 months, give birth to live young, and typically nurse their children with their milk for up to ten years after birth. However, others believe that a mermaid will lay an egg that a merman fertilizes externally in order to reproduce. Due to the fact we have no definitive proof of merfolk's existence, there is also no definitive answer to how they would reproduce but both of these scenarios are possible solutions to an unanswered question.

The most controversial aspect of a mermaids existence is due to their appearance in pop culture. If a merperson was to exist their skin would be covered in scales, they would require dorsal and pelvic fins, and they would need sharp teeth in order to catch and eat prey. In recent years certain forms of media have begun to display mermaids in a more realistic fashion, such as 'Siren' or 'Harry Potter', but an overwhelming amount of art and visual media displays merfolk without these features. It would be near impossible for these creatures to survive in the ocean without them. Additionally, merfolk would most likely have adapted with webbed hands to assist in swimming.

So if we can come to the conclusion that it is possible, however unlikely, that a mermaid could exist we then reach the question of how they could have come to exist? This is when this mythical creatures existence begins to become implausible to many people. The most obvious solution that comes to mind is adaptation or ancient cross species breeding. It sounds impossible to imagine the adaptation of a creature ending up with such a similar appearance to us however, the world is so very old and we have a very limited perception of just how much has happened in the past billions of years. It is easy to say 'billions' as just a number but imagine how many creatures could have lived and died and crossed paths with each other before our ancestors were even on track to adapting into modern age humans. However, I know it is still a major coincidence to imagine such a perfect crossover between two species who live in diametrically opposed environments. Reflecting on something like this leads me to wonder if we are truly as similar to these merfolk as pop culture has lead us to believe. There are many versions of merfolk throughout folklore and religion, and several of them have barely any similarities to humans. I would like to draw attention to the mermaids seen in Harry Potter. These creatures have the razor sharp teeth, the scaly skin, a face that more resembles that of a monkey, and hair entirely different to that seen on humans. Is this a more realistic depiction of a half human half fish creature? So yes, while it is possible that such a creature may exist it is implausible to imagine they would look anything like the modern day depiction of mermaids in pop culture.

Almost every culture in the world has a legend of a towering ape-like creature roaming the forests. Bigfoot is beleived to have an enlarged, almost identical skeletal structure to that of a human or ape. If this is true we can assume that the internal anatomy of this creature would resemble apes as well. Therefore, a creature of this form existing is anatomically possible but one major question remains, where could they have come from?

One theory is that the legend of bigfoot originates from a rogue pack of apes, possibly those midway through adaptation into homo sapiens. A range of environmental conditions could have caused these apes to adapt into the larger version of themselves. The difficult bush terrain Australia's Yowie would encounter or the tall rocky mountains Asia's Yeti would travel across could both cause the creature to grow taller, due to adaptation, over the centuries. However, apes have the short legs that they do to assist in balance, possibly for fighting or for stability on tree branches. So, as bigfoot is said to be from 7 - 20 feet tall, depending on the legend and culture the particular story comes from, they would not be suited for climbing trees and staying in branches. If this is the case it severely limits possible hiding spots that could've been used to explain the lack of evidence for the existence of bigfoot. If bigfoot is real, currently alive, and living in local woods, forests, and/or bushlands then why the extreme lack of evidence of it's existence? Animal Planet's 'Finding Bigfoot' aired for 11 seasons and yet never caught any truly compelling evidence. While a common explanation is that there is a very limited population of these creatures, that does not explain away all questions as many critically endangered species much smaller than bigfoot can be found using scientific methods and technology. So, how can such a massive and powerful creature hide for so long, and what would it's motives be for doing so?

One of the most compelling aspects of the bigfoot legend is just how old it is. Many say the story dates back to before recorded history. So many different cultures around the world have their own legend surrounding an enlarged ape creature, and you begin to wonder how did they all think up such a similar and yet unique story like this if there wasn't any truth to it? However, it would be another coincidence of it's own to say that this creature was adapted into in various different parts of the world from various different animals. You could propose a theory of this creature spreading from continent to continent whilst the earth was still majorly connected. However, to imagine there was enough of these creatures to migrate to so many different areas of the world would suggest that there would be many fossils or skeletons left behind, so why are there no bigfoot skeletons found? So whilst I believe that it is realistically possible that a bigfoot creature could have come to exist in the past centuries through adaptation, I do not believe that it actually did. This is due to the lack of evidence in an age where evidence, especially for land creatures, is a relatively easy thing to obtain.