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Mermaid Nerds Share The Differences Between Different Kinds Of Mermaids

Mermaid Nerds Share The Differences Between Different Kinds Of Mermaids

Mermaid Nerds Share The Differences Between Different Kinds Of Mermaids

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Mermaids are easily one of the most spellbinding fantasy creatures ever. They've held a place in people's imaginations for centuries and there really isn't any sign of that stopping any time soon. They inspire trends all over the place, like those mermaid pillows covered in reversible sequins or mermaid hair. There was a mermaid "documentary" not too long ago that talked about mermaids from a zoological perspective and people were really into it. Maybe that's what inspired this reddit user to ask:

What do you think would be the major differences between a freshwater mermaid and a saltwater mermaid?

Honestly, a lot of the answers were really insightful and well thought out! And a lot were... um ... not that. We grabbed 20 of our favorites for you guys to read.

A Lot Of Blubber

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Both would have to have a lot of blubber, like manatees, so forget Ariel. Freshwater would probably be very dark with spots to blend in with murky water (like trout), whereas salt water would probably be light/blue to blend in with the ocean (like whales).

Variance

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Saltwater mermaids would show more variance in color and fish shape do to the large habitat (think shark mermaids, clownfish mermaids, lion-fish mermaids, etc), better suited for combat on account of the oceans many predators, and have more worldly knowledge on account of having access to every major coastal city.

Freshwater mermaids would be a bit duller and look similar to other mermaids in the same lake but radically different from mermaids of other lakes. They'd suited for camouflage on account of having to survive in a small space in close to humans. They'd be much more timid that your saltwater mermaid.

If They Breathe Air...

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I wouldn't think there'd be any difference if mermaids breathe air. They wouldn't have to worry about the whole osmotic balance thing the way a critter with gills would. They'd be more like whales - could go from fresh to brackish to salt water without any real issues.

Amazonian Women

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Strength.

In the open ocean, a lot of the time you can just swim around an obstacle. In a river, you'd have to be able to scarvel up waterfalls or hold position against the current, unless you're in a pool or slower river.

Colour.

A lot of and lakes rivers are dark or murky. I'd imagine a freshwater mermaids would have a darker complexion, and a tail similar to that of a freshwater Arctic charr, a mottled black/brown back with a redder belly. They'd probably have brown or black hair.

Air Tolerant

Due to the nature of the water cycle and their size, a freshwater mermaid would need to be able to spend periods of time out of water, either looking for a new water body to live in, or in shallow or stagnant water.

Verdict

A freshwater mermaid would look something like an amazonian woman with an arapaima-like tail.

Different Hairstyles

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Saltwater mermaid is quick, lively, colorful, and mischievous. Her bright hair tangles around her and her scales are reflective. They are fascinated with the open sky. Can often be found playing on rocks at the surface of the water.

Freshwater mermaid is slow, reserved, monochromatic, and tends to go with the flow. Her dark hair rests at her shoulders and her scales are dull. They are uninterested in surface surroundings. Can often be found browsing for food along river bottoms.

Mississippi Mermaids

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I think there would be more diversity among freshwater mermaids. Like a Mississippi River mermaid is probably a little rough and jaded, while maybe a Lake Tahoe mermaid is not.

Billy Bass

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Well, there would be a freshwater mermaid version of the Billy Bass.

Pointy Fins

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Probably in their tails; a Freshwater mermaid would have gentle fins, not sharp or pointy. A saltwater mermaid would have pointy/sharp fins instead like for speed and agility.

Size Matters

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Salties generally have more room to swim in than freshies (the ocean opposed to a river or lake) so would probably end up much bigger!

Majestic Betta Fish

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Freshwater are majestic like beta fish, salt water look like the hell spawn that show up on Google images when you search for real mermaid pictures.

Catfish And Corvinas

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Catfish do not taste the same as corvinas, and you know it ma'am.

Brackish

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When Freshies act all Salty, they're called Brackish.

Beachy Curls

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Saltwater mermaid would definitely have the most amazing curly hair from all that salt. My Mam literally fills up a bottle with water from the sea to spray on her hair.

Like Salmon

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I've always seen freshwater mermaids as kind of like salmon, slow, a little ugly, and lays eggs. Saltwater mermaids would be much more predatory, vertical fin, maybe even a dorsal fin, and would probably breed like sharks where the eggs hatch inside the body of the mother.

Confederate Flag Bikinis

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I actually had an idea once for a TV show called River Mermaids where they'd all live on rivers in the Appalachian mountains.

Wine And Sea Food

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The flavor and wine pairing. I would go with a Chardonnay on fresh and a Riesling on salt.

Flipping Bodies

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Freshwater: person on top fish on bottom

Saltwater: fish on top person on bottom

Luring Cocky Hikers

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The existence of a freshwater mermaid is a common fallacy. It is actually a brackish-water mermaid that can adapt to both salt and fresh water environments. This species is smaller in size than the open-sea mermaid, and its skin is more pinkish in color, but otherwise share general characteristics and split from a common ancestor about 60,000 years ago.

Also, instead of luring tired sailors into shipwrecks, they lure cocky hikers and backpackers into rocky rivers with strong currents and unpredictable drops.

"Hates Chickens"

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Freshwater mermaid: Pretty, but in a slightly mildew-y way. She's into pranks like grabbing your leg as you swim through a bunch of pond seaweed. Freshwater mermaid is also into grunge pop, the shark tooth necklace you lost last summer, The Gilmore Girls revival and is a lowkey freak.

Saltwater Mermaid: Rides sharks for fun. Lures sailors to shipwreck for fun. Has a seaweed garden for fun. Tames seagulls for fun. Hates chickens.

H/T: Reddit

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When I was in college, my friends and I went to Starbucks one December night. We had just taken the hardest of our finals and knew we did a terrible job and decided to go to Starbucks to cheer ourselves up.

One of my friends ordered a latte while my other friend and I ordered frappuccinos. The barista got super offended that we would have the audacity to order cold drinks on a cold night. She told us we should be ashamed of ourselves for making her make cold drinks on a cold night. Seriously!

I almost changed my order, but luckily, another barista came over to take care of us. As she put in our orders, she said the original barista we dealt with always judged people's orders and we should just ignore her.

This wasn't the last time we were judged by this barista, but we learned to ignore her opinions.

She is not the only person to get offended by something ridiculous or completely inoffensive. Redditors know this all to well and are eager to share their stories.

It all started when Redditor AdRealistic878 asked:

"What is the most ridiculous thing you've seen someone get offended by?"

A Greeting Is A Greeting...Or Not

"I had a boss get mad at me because when she said "Good morning" I responded with "Hello.""

"She got in my face and said "No.... I said 'Good morning'. Say it back.'"

"I didn't stay there long lol"

– isabelstclairs

"This reminds me of a time I was riding my bike early one morning. I was going up a steep hill, breathing hard, and a jogger running past me down the hill called out "good morning". I just nodded in their direction and continued my slog."

"The jogger stopped and yelled "hey, I said good morning!" I still can't understand the sense of entitlement, that somehow I owe them a verbal return of their greeting despite the obvious circumstances."

– FrightenedOfSpoons

"This reminds me of the first time I went backpacking. I was going up a steep subalpine mountain side on a trail that was basically a ladder made of rocks. I was breathing hard. Two men were coming down and gave a cheery “hello”. I said “hi” all redfaced and out of breath. One of them looked so offended."

– GogoYubari92

Not My Fault!

"When I worked at McDonald’s they discontinued the smartie McFlurry for a short time. When explaining to anyone who ordered one, you’d have thought I threatened their family or something with how offended people were."

– SarcastiKatt

Speak My Language

"I've seen people get very offended by a South Welsh accent. Accusing people of being racist and faking Indian accents when they're just speaking in their native accent."

"The internet is wild."

– Broshida

Freedom Of Speech?

"I was out for lunch with a colleague at a local pub and we were discussing a news story from the morning about a bus crash."

"A woman on a nearby table took great offence to this and stormed over to us and demanded we stop talking about it in public."

"We both just stared at her, not entirely sure if she was serious."

"She was."

"We carried on discussing it and she flounced out."

– ASK_IF_IM_PENGUIN

Just Trying To Help

"I politely and quietly told a woman on line at the pharmacy that the price tag was still hanging on her jacket sleeve. She went on a long loud rant about my bad behavior."

– VosTutZich

"This is why mom taught me Don't talk to strangers."

– UnicornSlayer5000

Spoilers

"I got yelled at for ‘spoiling’ the Tudors. Like my god."

– altdultosaurs

"Imagine being that uneducated that you think someone is "spoiling" the Tudors."

– narniasreal

"Making a joke about Ann Boleyn. Apparently, it was too soon."

"I wish I were joking."

– LadyoftheHounds

"Woah, people are still losing their head over it?"

– SpittinImageofLlama

This Is Nuts!

"Not me, but the Korean Nut Rage incident. The Vice President of Korean Air (daughter of the CEO) was in first class and got furious that she was served nuts (like the peanuts you get on a flight) in a packaged bag rather than a wooden bowl. She made the captain kneel and beg for forgiveness and hit him, then forced the plane to return to the gate since she'd just fired the captain. Crazy stuff."

– FancifulPeaches

Well, Obviously!

"Me growing a beard. According to my brother's mother-in-law, only junkies grow beards, and that's so they can hide their drugs in it. I kid you not!"

– Grunthos_Flatulent

Watch Out!

"I was standing with my trolley waiting & had a lady freak out “You’re going to hit my son!”. I wasn’t even moving so it was a huge overreaction, but I understood that her small son may be hidden from my view behind the trolley & she was making sure he doesn’t get hit when I do move whilst not realising he’s there."

"I looked for him but couldn’t see anything. She continued to freak out at me “Don’t hit my son!” & physically restraining my trolley which is not moving."

"It turned out she meant the adult male next to her scanning things at the self scan till. I wasn’t going to hit him anymore than any fully grown adult in the supermarket."

– stowberry

Don't Lose Your Hair!

"My kid has very curly hair. When said kid was about three years old, a random woman started berating me in public because my kid’s hair was curly. She was convinced I’d had it permed, and how horrible to do that to an innocent 3 year old. I was the worst parent ever. Apparently she’d never seen someone with naturally curly hair before?!"

– Frozen_Feet

Stay Seated

"Being offered a seat on a crowded subway. I offered a woman who was 30 years older than i was my seat . She flew into a tirade yelling nonsense."

– rayneglyons

Talk About An Overreaction!

"I’m a Vet Tech, and people will LOSE THEIR SHIT if you misgender their pets. Jesus Christ. 🤦🏻 The folks who get the most offended are:"

"1. The ones who have chosen to name their male dogs a classically effeminate name."

"2. The ones who have chosen to name their female dogs a classically masculine name."

"Had a guy walk into our animal hospital with his Briard a few weeks ago. Wasn’t a known client/patient, so we asked what the dog’s name was. He responded with “Joy.” Kept talking to the guy about our services when Joy put their paws up on the counter to look at us. I said, “do you have a question, sweet girl?” Dude recoiled like I’d just uppercut his dog through the ceiling and roars, “HE’S a BOY” before dragging the dog out the door in a huff."

– ItsStrib1978

Taylor Swift was right: You need to calm down!

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Person holding up magnet of Florida
Done By Alex/Unsplash

In all deference to the people of Florida, the Sunshine State is not known for being the ideal place to live.

Aside from being a major tourist destination and an escape from the cold weather months in other parts of the country, the retirement refuge is reputable as being problematic and the butt of a joke for a number of reasons.

But the real kicker is the frequency at which many Florida residents make headlines for unhinged behavior earning them the label of "Florida Man," prompting the rest of the U.S. to shake their heads and remark, "Only in Florida."

Curious to hear about other parts of the world that have a similar reputation, Redditor Ltimbombo asked:

"What is the 'Florida' of Europe?"

These are almost, but not quite, Florida.

The "Crazy Sh*t" Stereotype

"In what sense? Spain's Costa del Sol ticks the 'entitled retiree destination' box but the 'people inexplicably doing crazy sh*t' stereotype firmly belongs to Russia."

– epeeist

Deutscheland

"Adam Carolla used to have a segment on his radio show called 'Florida or Germany' where he would read newspaper articles of strange crimes and callers would guess if it took place in Florida or Germany. I thought it was entertaining."

– CurvySmokeShow

It's A Zoo Out There

"As a Florida Man who has found an Alligator in my backyard before (no joke, this is serious) I’d definitely have to say Russia."

– anon

"I’ve had 2 pythons show up in the yard of the house I grew up in, years before it was widely known how invasive they were."

"Never got a gator though."

– Sss00099

Talking Geography

"In that the Ural mountains are the technical dividing line between Europe and Asia, I'll have to go with Western Russia. In particular, you could overlay Florida on top of the part of Russia that spans from Voronezh to Saratov and then down to Volgograd."

– themistergraves

Gotta love some o' the Brits.

Im-Posh-ters

"When I was in Barcelona this past June I had the opportunity to witness a young, trashy British couple act as though they were posh. It was then that I realized that the British are the Floridians of Europe."

– mattswa

"Ohhh trashy Brits are on another level, you have to see it to believe it lol."

– YetiPie

Defined By TV Shows

"I was in Dublin last summer, met some Brits from Leeds and they literally asked the Irish guy I was hanging out with if they had the same queen. Then when it came up I was american one of the women shrieked and said 'Young Sheldon’s me favorite tv show' and Jesus Christ I couldn’t help but laugh"

– BureaucraticHotboi

Admittedly Floridian

"Florida is kinda stupid for stupid’s sake. Here in the UK we tell ourselves we are civilised, refined, smart and in control while still doing equally stupid stuff."

– npri0r

Making Up For Size

"Blackpool, England. Admittedly it's on a smaller scale but what it lacks in size, it makes it up in STD rates, welfare distribution and average tooth count."

– DavosLostFingers

"Fun fact! Blackpool is the only city in the uk with the same average lifespan as the US!"

– TinyChairty4151

Feels Like Home

"I went on holiday to Britain, driving the whole island. Some seagulls nicked my chips and my pastie in Blackpool while some guy vomited into a trash can next to me. Same exact thing happened to me in Miami (swap the pastie for a taco). So ya this checks out."

– sothatsathingnow

Meanwhile, over in the Mediterranean...

Cretins

"It’s probably Greece and specifically Crete. People like to go there for vacation, it’s hot and all the people own guns and are conservative religious madlads."

– SpaceAgeIsLate

Italiano

"Italy, it's hot, full of tourist, and has a history of going facist."

– weedtrek

"And it's the wang of Europe."

– swash_mcbuckle

Looks like every Floridians are not alone in their tainted reputation thanks to the number of people who had to ruin everything.

But one thing seems certain.

It's doesn't seem to be about what's in the water Floridians drink.