Mermaids

Lately, I have been studying the famous explorer Henry Hudson for my cross-curriculum history and english project. Honestly, he wasn't the most interesting person. He was born, he explored, his crew thought he was crazy and stranded him and his teenage son in a boat, and they were never seen again. That's pretty much this guy's life.
But, something that fascinated me was that on his third voyage he claimed to have seen a mermaid. He said that the mermaid came up to the side of the boat, looked at the crew, and then dived under, revealing her fish tail. The historians say that Hudson was a seasoned sailor, and he couldn't have mistakened a mermaid, which he described in great detail, for a walrus or other sea creature.
This makes me wonder: Is there a such thing as mermaids, or just men at sea longing to see women again? This isn't always the case. Looking up reports of mermaid sightings, two women have seen mermaids throughout history. Were they just crazy ladies doing their laundry on the beach, or were they telling the truth?
Mermaids have been portrayed in so many ways throughout time, through movies, books, and descriptions. There was the classic disney movie, "Little Mermaid", which basically made mermaids cute little creatures in great numbers, who wanted to hide themselves from humans. Sure, it was an adorable movie, but completely fiction. Now, I'm not saying that mermaids are real, but if I were to say that, then I would show them in a way that they coordinate with the explorers descriptions.The basic way mermaids have been described is:

• Long, Dark, Glossy Hair (One person said green hair)
• Ruddy (or red) cheeks
• Round Foreheads
• Finely shaped noses
• Light blue or "hollow" eyes, very round
• Long ears
• Overdeveloped breasts
• Large, scaley tales

So, now I probably know everything I can possibly know about mermaids. Well, except for the fact if they're actually real or not, and if someone can explain to me what it was that all those people were seeing, then let me know. In the meantime, it's so much easier to worry about life above water.