Interestingly, mermaid myths may have been deliberate hoaxes, which makes the question of a “real” mermaid even muddier.
I’m not sure how Ctesias or Aristotle would react to seeing an oryx- they might decide it’s a new duoceros different from monoceri or they might say “oops, I guess we only saw depictions of monoceri in profile, they actually have two horns.”
Interestingly, mermaid myths may have been deliberate hoaxes, which makes the question of a “real” mermaid even muddier.
I’m not sure how Ctesias or Aristotle would react to seeing an oryx- they might decide it’s a new duoceros different from monoceri or they might say “oops, I guess we only saw depictions of monoceri in profile, they actually have two horns.”