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There have been issues with the images on this page because I don't understand wikipedia very well by just copy and past the links (without the 'File:' part) to see the images

Merpeople (Homo syreni) or merpeople are a relatively recent discovery and therefore there is still much to learn. They are humanoid marine creatures and there is a great deal of debate over the taxonomy of the species. Merpeople have been found in all oceans of the world, though there are significant cultural differences across the regions. Merpeople are able to breathe both under and above water due to their dual respiratory system of both gill structures and lungs.

Appearance
Merpeople have a humaniod torso, generally of a strong yet lightly muscled build, covered in a grey-purple skin. The skin differs from humans as it is of a rubber-like texture (though those who have had contact describe it as 'silky') and is designed to be both strong and insulating. Beneath the skin there is a layer of high density fat for insulation purposes. The head has a crown of hair which varies between individuals and, though slightly more angular, the face is not at all dissimilar to humans. On the neck there are five pairs of gills slits, like those of cartilaginous fish (sharks and rays) though merpeople do not rely on 'ram ventilation' as sharks do so are not required to be in constant motion. The gills are able to seal shut when the lungs are in use and the merperson is taking oxygen from the air.

Merpeople also have webbed fingers; many say this is simply to aid swimming though some marine biologists think the webbing may also increase blood flow to the fingers - which are proportionally smaller than those of a human - and prevent them from being affected by the cold of the deeper ocean.

Around the navel, the skin gives way to the scales that cover the tail of a merperson. It has been found that each individual has a unique scale pattern upon their tails so it is hypothesised that this is used as an identifying factor. Fin arrangement also differs between individuals, some having two fins along the sides of the tail and others having a single one that originates from the small of the back. Both the fins and the tail flukes are made of a semi-translucent flesh with long, tapering ends. Despite the delicate look, the tail flukes are in fact incredibly strong at the base so can be used as the primary source of propulsion when swimming.

Habitat
Though they can be found in all oceans of the world, merpeople will only reside in specific habitats. Merpeople are static creatures and each pod will have home waters that will only change should a sufficient threat arise.

Merpeople reside within caves carved from the rocks. It is unknown whether they will settle in preformed cave structures or whether tools are used to carve them out by hand. There will be both private, residential caves that can be found throughout the home waters as well as more centralised communal caves which can vary greatly between pods. They will usually be a nursery cave for the young to grow safely and researchers have also found areas used for eating, treating wounds or illnesses, crafting of tools and general recreation.

Social
Little is known of the details of the merpeoples' complex social structure. They live in pods of between 40 and 50 individuals, though there have been pods found in the more open oceans of up to 200. Membership in pods does not seem to be static, individuals occasionally moving between pods for mating purposes.

From the research that has been done, the familial structure seems to be very similar to that of humans.

Language
Merpeople have a unique language consisting of whistles and clicks which seems to be consistent across the globe. There has been a small amount of success in translating this language, but it is still largely unknown.

Though it is still a mystery as to why, merpeople have always had the ability to speak the human language of the region in which they reside.

Feeding
Merpeople are omnivorous creatures, their diet consisting of fish along with seaweed, crustaceans and even some types of rock.

All evidence suggests that merpeople will venture out into the ocean, catch fish and kill them before returning to their home caves or communal feeding area and using tools to gut and prepare the fish for consumption. Obviously, they cannot cook the fish, but merpeople have been observed combining fish with other ingredients to produce different dishes.

Relationships
From the age of sixteen onwards, merpeople will begin looking for a partner. Most often they will pair with someone from within their own pod, but it is not unusual for a merperson to migrate to a different pod to be with their chosen partner. After choosing a partner, the pair will move into a newly vacated or created residential cave to experience living together and finalise their decision to be mates. Once they are sure, one of the pair (usually the male in male/female pairings though this is not a rigid rule) will go out and catch an Opah fish to present to their partner. Should the partner accept the proposal, the pair will work together to create a traditional dish from the fish which they will share. They will then spend time (usually one season) planning a Pairing Ceremony.

Pairing Ceremony
The pairing ceremony is akin to the human wedding ceremonies. Both members of the pair will spend a week apart prior to the ceremony, living back with their families while the final preparations are made. All pods have an area in their home waters reserved for Pairing Ceremonies which will be decorated with colourful sea flora ready for the event. On the day of the ceremony, the entire pod (or both pods should the pairing be across groups) will all gather in the decorated area where the 'groom' (the member of the pair who presented the Opah fish) will be awaiting the arrival of the 'bride'. The bride will spend the morning with their family, being decorated with jewellery created from shells, peals and other precious items. These accessories have often been passed down through the family.

During the ceremony, the pair will each present a gift to the other's parents as a sign of respect and a promise to care for their child. An elder member of the pod will then perform a speech and use a ceremonial shell to carve a line across the back of each partners hand. The sea herb wrap applied for a few minutes after this appears to make the procedure relatively painless and the resulting scar seems to be a symbol of the Pairing, much like a wedding band. The pair will then share a kiss and entwine their tails and the elder performs a final blessing, then the pod will return to one of the communal areas to finish the celebration.

Migration
Merpeople living in waters outside the tropics are thought to make a yearly migration north in the summer months, taking advantage of the better fishing once the waters are at a manageable temperature. Recent research has found that migrating pods also have home waters in the north where they reside before returning to their more southerly homes. The migrations of a pod living in British coastal waters have been examined and the journey is started in late spring and takes around a 28 days, a total travel distance of over 5000 miles. The merpeople will remain in the northern home waters until early autumn before travelling back to their usual home.

Merpeople will make the migration from the age of thirteen onwards, until that age they will remain with their mother in the home waters and build their strength and swimming skills to prepare for the long journey

Taxonomy Debate
Since their discovery, a major point of debate has been how to classify merpeople as a species. The current scientific name used (Homo syreni) was derived from the latin homo, meaning 'man' (in relation to the human portion of the being) and syreni, the latin word for mermaids from ancient folklore. The name was coined due to the inability to reach a consensus on the classification, meaning there was no formal way to form a scientific name.

The main debate is over whether merpeople should be classed as mammals or fish. Due to their gills and entirely aquatic habitat, merpeople fit a majority of the characteristics needed to be identified as a fish. However, the live young, hair, the way in which move their tail, the direction of their fins and mammary glands all mean they could also scientifically be classed as mammals. Many scientists choose to identify merpeople as aquatic mammals but accept that they taxonomically fit both classifications.

Controversy
In recent years, there has been growing concerns over the practise of keeping merpeople in captivity. As they are researched in more detail, the sheer level of intelligence being found is raising doubt over the ethics of keeping and displaying them in aquariums and aquatic parks. There has also been increasing amounts of evidence that being in captivity has a drastic negative affect a merperson's health.

All merpeople that have been taken from the wild before the age of fourteen have not reached the expected length by adulthood, often remaining slightly shorter than a tall human. They also have a significantly higher rate of illness than wild merpeople, the chemically treated water they are kept in resulting in a less capable immune system. The size of the tanks themselves are also criticised. During migration months merpeople can swim over 100 miles per day; tanks are often not even large enough to allow merpeople to swim the distance they would on a normal day's hunting.

The psychological effects of both the confinement and the isolation from the complex social groups in the wild is one of the main areas for concern. Captive merpeople have been observed to demonstrate multiple unnatural behaviours that have been induced by the stress of captivity, including but not limited to: Research suggests that all of these issues directly cause the worrying decrease in life expectancy for captive merpeople. No matter what age they have been taken in, no merperson has survived for longer than thirty years in captivity despite their life expectancy being similar to that of humans. Those that are taken before adulthood have rarely made it past the age of 25.
 * Unnaturally stilted or jerky swimming movements
 * Long periods of motionlessness
 * Repetitive 'pacing' and swimming in circles
 * Agressiveness
 * Neurotic behaviour
 * Self destruction

Daniel Howell
Spoilers

Daniel Howell is a young merman who was taken into captivity at the London Sea Life Aquarium at the age of ten and has been a major focal point of the controversy over merpeople in captivity.

Despite the aquarium's claim that Daniel was rescued after being abandoned by his pod, it was later revealed by Philip Lester (a boy the same age as Daniel who formed a close friendship with the merman during his captivity) that Daniel was, in fact, kidnapped from the wild by a group of fishermen.

After six years, as other aquariums acquired merpeople, the novelty of having one waned. So the Sea Life centre decided to take advantage of the merman's intelligence and constructed a show tank, in which Daniel was forced to perform tricks for the entertainment of the public. At this point, the movement against merpeople in captivity really began to gain attention, many organisations using Daniel as a prime example for how merpeople are mistreated and misrepresented by the aquariums that kept them. After an injury involving a flaming hoop that left a large wound on his tail, Daniel was made to continue performing despite having fairly severe impairments to his swimming ability.

After another two years with no change and the declining popularity of seeing merpeople in captivity, the aquarium attempted to sell Daniel to an unnamed private collector in Dubai. Having found out about this deal, Philip and a group of trainers worked together to break Daniel out of the Sea Life centre and transported him to the Norfolk coast before releasing him back into the ocean.

After giving evidence of the aquarium's plan, the group avoided all prosecution other than a charge of trespassing which resulting in an official warning. Philip went on to study marine biology and continue campaigning against keeping merpeople in captivity.

Three years after Dan's release, the Intelligent Creatures Protection Act was passed by the EU. It outlawed the keeping of any animal deemed to be of a certain level of intelligence (set by guidelines along with the act) in any sort of captivity within Europe and required all animals currently in captivity to either be released or placed in a suitable sea pens within five years, a condition which was kept by all parties involved. This law also affected the keeping of orcas and dolphins.

With the aid of the university, Philip kept in contact with Daniel after his release into the wild and has focused all of his research both during his course and after his graduation on Daniel and his transition back into life in the wild. In his last report, he stated that Daniel is doing well. He has readjusted smoothly into life in the pod and is now the apprentice of the current healer. His health is back up to a good standard, though he is still shorter than expected. He is thriving and is looking forward to a long and happy life.