A mermaid skeleton image went viral on social media, claiming to have been discovered in Bulgaria over 8,000 years old. However, the image was revealed to be a hoax - it was a digitally altered photo of a real Irish skeleton from a photo contest. While the story seemed plausible, it highlights the challenge of verifying information on the internet where content is easily created and shared.

1. Mermaid Skeleton
Found in Bulgaria
You may have seen this image floating
around on Facebook or another social
media – a mermaid skeleton has been
discovered and is said to predate the
Great Flood over 8 thousand years ago.
The discovery was made near Sozopol
Beach in Bulgaria by a Professor
Dimitrov (pictured).
Think about it… What is your reaction to
this image and story? Have you seen this
on the Internet already? It looks
authentic, and facts are stated. How can
we know if it’s true or not?

2. Mermaid Skeleton a HOAX
The skeleton image is, in fact, a hoax. The photograph was digitally altered
from the original photo (below, left) of a skeleton excavated in Ireland. The
mermaid skeleton photo was created by a contestant in a Photo Effects
contest. He won 6th place.
Images like this one and
many, many others are
products of a Web 2.0 world
where content is being created
by anyone.
It begs the question: How do
we know what information to
trust?