Who is still wondering or maybe hoping that mermaids are real creatures, thumbs up! Not surprisingly, since childhood, we are used to hearing about mermaids. In fact, the mythology about mermaids is arguably not just a legend belonging to people of a country, in some parts of the world they have their own stories about these creatures.
So what are the scientific facts about mermaids? Who is a mermaid according to biology?
Mythological creatures tend to come from creatures that are used as symbols of a meaning to be conveyed.
The princess is a woman and the mermaid is an animal. A daughter is actually a mother, a daughter is a guardian of regeneration. Without the mother, regeneration would not be possible.
Prof. Ibnu said that mermaid mythological creatures actually exist in the real world. In the scientific world, a mermaid is a Dugong animal whose Latin name is Dugong dugon, which is then given a mythology related to a princess which actually contains the value of the story of nature preservation.
Dugongs are mega herbivorous animals. Well, Dugong dugon as a megaherbivorous animal in the sea, so its distribution is all over the world. Dugong dugon is called a megaherbivore because it can eat aquatic plants which amount in one day, per tail, can consume 30 kg of leaves.
According to Prof. Ibnu, the animals that often become mythological creatures are those that fall into the category of megaherbivores - on land for example elephants - and top predators such as lions and eagles.
Why should megaherbivores, it's because of its very important role in nature. In the absence of megaherbivores, plants can undergo invasion or reproduction very quickly. As a result, land or sea will be dominated by one type of biota so that it can interfere with the lives of other animals.
That way, according to him, the mythology about mermaids is part of an invitation to protect and preserve Dugong because their presence is very much needed. Wow, now you know that mermaids in the real world are Dugongs?