Delaware Is Home To Two Creepy Mermen

Delaware Is Home To Two Creepy Mermen

They are creepy, but extremely interesting.

In talking about the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame on air I was curious to see what kind of museums Delaware had.

Specifically the weird stuff at these museums.

What I stumbled upon was creepy but very intriguing.

It was two mermans, or mermens, I am not well versed in the plurals of fictitious beings.

The first merman is in Lewes at the Zwaanendael Museum .

There is a merman on display on the second floor of the museum and its a monkeys head sewed on a fish's body.

"Creations such as the Zwaanendael Merman were conceived as pranks or side show curiosities at a time when sea captains were returning from the newly opened ports of East Asia with tall tales of exotic, never-before-seen creatures, and at a time when people were trying to learn more about the science behind human origins. Other names for creatures of this sort are “Fiji Merman,” “Devil Fish,” and “Jenny Hanivers" according to the Zwaanendael Museum website.

The museum is located at 102 Kings Hwy, Lewes, DE 19958.

The other merman is located on Fenwick Island.

The Discoversea Shipwreck Museum has another creepy and intriguing figure on display.

"The museum holds about 10,000 artifacts, making it one of the largest collections of its kind along the Mid-Atlantic seaboard. It’s full of treasures like gold bars, a desiccated Feejee mermaid, a taxidermy shark, and a bone from a walrus’s penis, known as an oosik" according to Atlas Obscura.

The Discovrsea Museum is located at 708 Coastal Hwy, Fenwick Island, DE 19944 and you can see the merman here.

But wait! Theres more mermaid stuff withing driving distance.

The Mermaid Museum is in Maryland!

Here you can see, and touch everything Mermaid. Just 9 miles from the sea. The gift shop will also be stocking mermaid tails!

Delaware Is Home To Two Creepy Mermen

They are creepy, but extremely interesting.

Delaware Endangered Species List Is Now Up To 86 Species

It's hard to believe that our little state of Delaware is home to a number of threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Some of the best known of these are the Leatherback Sea Turtle, Mud Salamander, Sperm Whale, Atlantic Sturgeon, Bethany Beach Firefly and the Delmarva Fox Squirrel.

The Delmarva Fox Squirrel used to be common in the state.  These squirrels were nationally listed as an endangered species, but removed in 2015.  However, they do remain on Delaware's list.  According to DNREC, the squirrel has been reintroduced into the first state in surrounding Delmarva arras in an effort to have them removed from Delaware's list of most endangered.  The most recent release was last year, in 2022.

The First State now lists 86 species as endangered or threatened.   The law provides regulations for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found. Title 7 of the Annotated Code of Delaware prohibits the importation, transportation, possession, or sale of any part of an endangered species of fish or wildlife.

Here are some of the most endangered species here in the first state.  See the full list of all of Delaware's endangered species here.