Mermaid Body Found? Discovery Channel Re-Airs Program Sparking Debate

The two hour documentary "Mermaids: The Body Found" which aired on Animal Planet in May, has been re-aired on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, and has caused another huge stir.

The program, however, is just a documentary-style science fiction program, but that has not stopped thousands of people from instantly believing that mermaids do in fact exist.

"Mermaids: The Body Found" was just a fictional account put together in a documentary format telling the story of a mermaid's body being found. However, many have failed to realize the account was just fictional and immediately believed a real mermaid had been found.

No evidence of mermaids, says US government

There is no evidence that mermaids exist, a US government scientific agency has said.

The National Ocean Service made the unusual declaration in response to public inquiries following a TV show on the mythical creatures.

It is thought some viewers may have mistaken the programme for a documentary.

"No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found," the service wrote in an online post.

The National Ocean Service - a division of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) - posted an article last week on its educational website, Ocean Facts.