Specimen Report: V-1
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Project Designation: Initial confirmation and contact with the homo aquatis species
Lead Observer: Dr. █. █████████
Facility: Mariana Gate Refugium
Abstract: Specimen V-1 represents the first verified instance of a non-human, fully aquatic organism consistent with maritime folklore classifications (“mermaid”). The subject’s capture and containment provided the initial framework for the classification of homo aquatis. Despite its scientific significance, the subject expired prior to long-term study due to containment inadequacies. An autopsy showed us the first anatomical and physiological documentation of this species.
Note: This document may contain outdated content, missing items, and is in need of revision. All information must be cross-examined with other, more up-to-date resources to determine its accuracy.
TW: Distressing character death description, autopsy information, dehumanisation.
Acquisition and Initial Condition:
V-1 was recovered via a reinforced trawl system in the lower Aurelia Zone quite accidentally. The specimen exhibited active resistance during her retrieval, including high-frequency vocalisations and coordinated tail propulsion, sufficient enough to damage the netting quite severely.
Upon extraction, the subject displayed:
Elevated agitation.
Rapid respiratory distress when exposed to open air.
Repeated attempts to reorient toward water sources.
Notably, ocular tracking suggested environmental awareness and possible recognition of personnel as distinct entities.
Containment Protocol
The subject was transferred to a temporary holding enclosure filled with treated saline solution approximating oceanic conditions. This containment unit was not designed for large marine fauna, let alone potentially sapient organisms. (From head to hip, V-1 was 4 feet, and her tail was an additional 22 feet, making her much larger than us and thus difficult to approach without the use of apparatus.)
Observed issues included:
Spatial Restrictions: The specimen’s caudal length required continuous coiling, preventing full extension of V-1's body. This made her difficult to study.
Inadequate Salinity Balance: Filtration systems prioritised sterility over ecological fidelity. V-1 expressed difficulty breathing in here just as much as she did when reacting to open air.
Nutritional Rejection: Feeding protocols relied on dead fish and nutrient paste; the subject refused intake after initial exposure. There was no attempt to test if she was a herbivore, the initial assumption was that she was carnivorous.
Sensory Deprivation: Absence of environmental stimuli (water filtration and movement, lighting that emulates the Aurelia ecological zone, etc.) produced escalating distress behaviours.
Within 48 hours, the subject exhibited:
Lethargy, most often, but she was also alternating between violent thrashing and hyperaggression.
Dermal discolouration was seen forming along the lateral regions.
Decreased responsiveness to external stimuli.
Vocalisations diminished significantly prior to V-1's death.
Cause of Death Time of death: ~96 hours post-capture.
Primary contributing factors are assessed as an acute physiological stress response, alongside environmental incompatibility (hydrostatic, chemical, spatial) and nutritional deprivation, in other words, starvation.
It is possible that psychological destabilisation (unverified, though behavioural indicators suggest high cognitive function) also factored into her traumatic passing.
No attempt was made to reintroduce the subject to its natural environment.
Post-Mortem Examination
Autopsy commenced 4 hours post-mortem to minimise tissue degradation. It became the best use for V-1 when other conditions to research her were not meeting current requirements.
External Morphology:
The cranial and thoracic structure is consistent with homo sapiens. This is especially affirmed with the phalanges, opposable thumbs, and facial structure holding similarities to us.
The lower body is fully adapted for aquatic locomotion (caudal fin structures, reinforced vertebral column), and combining this with the humanoid upper half, encourages us to compare them to "mermaids" from our mythological history. I can't just write "mermaid" as a scientific term, however, hence, homo aquatis has been used in this document.
Respiratory System:
A dual-function system was observed, demonstrating that homo aquatis could, to some extent, be amphibious, or that their evolutionary history suggests they once lived on land. An impossible thought, considering Neritheon-b7 is a hycean planet:
They have a reduced lung capacity relative to a human's.
Branchial, gill structures were located along the ribcage and throat of V-1, which were previously undetected during life due to sealing closed when she was in a state of distress.
She had vestigial vocal cords, which was replaced by a unique physiological mechanism that we do not understand.
Circulatory Adaptations:
They have a large heart relative to a human's, much larger.
There was high myoglobin concentration in the muscle tissue.
Evidence of pressure adaptation was quite consistent with deep-water activity, but this is an assumption.
Neurology:
Brain volume is considered within the same skull-to-brain-ratio as a human's.
There were expanded regions associated with auditory and visual processing; perhaps insinuating that homo aquatis sees colours differently and hears echolocation frequencies that we can't.
Most pecularly, there was unusual neural folding patterns that are not present in known hominids. No speculations can be made about this much, but it has been recorded for future reference.
Digestive System:
The dental structure of V-1 implies that her teeth were designed for scraping, grinding, and chewing. These are teeth formations seen in herbivorous creatures.
V-1's body was structured similarly to a cow's with four stomachs that were specialised for marine plant digestion, further suggesting that she may have been an obligate or facultative herbivore. These stomachs were related in the caudal region of the body to make room for the heart, lungs, and reproductive organs in the thoracic region.
Thus, the enzyme composition was incompatible with the processed or preserved food sources that were provided during containment; cutting open her stomach left a disgusting stench in my office for far longer than I would've liked.
The intestinal tract dominates the caudal region of V-1's body, and the anal cavity is, reasonably, near the tail end.
Reproductive System:
V-1 had no mammary glands, with a chest more comparable to the human male's; broader-shouldered and flat-chested to streamline her swimming abilities.
Her reproductive organs were somewhat comparable to the human female's, there is a suggestion towards homo aquatis potentially being ovoviviparous or oviparous.
Behavioural Notes
Although a systematic behavioural study was not conducted before her death, the following was recorded:
V-1 made repetitive contact with enclosure boundaries, which demonstrated her strength; of which she had a lot of at the beginning (cite, the damage on the nets).
V-1 directed gaze toward SDEF personnel, and sustained it beyond typical animal curiosity. One could humanise her enough into believing that she was even fearful.
V-1 made structured vocal emissions, very complicated echolocation patterns never heard before across any of our studies so far. It was possibly communicative in nature.
These behaviours were initially categorised as stress responses and not analysed further prior to death.
Conclusion
Specimen V-1 provided conclusive evidence of a previously undocumented aquatic species, homo aquatis, while it shares no actual evolutionary genus with us, IUI approves of the term for its consistency and interplanetary relateability to allow readers of this document who may not be in Neritheon-b7 to understand exactly how human this species appears.
While the subject did not survive long enough for extended observation, we have finally proven the reality of "mermaids". No ethical framework has yet been formalised regarding the treatment of homo aquatis specimens, but hey, I think we can do better next time.
Despite the loss of the live specimen, the data obtained from the autopsy analysis hopes to establish the foundation for all subsequent research into the species.
Future acquisition efforts should prioritise expanded containment environments, better dietary sourcing, not the damn supplements and paste, and minimise the capture-induced trauma.
Hoo boy I was hoping to get the timeline done a while ago but I'll drop this here instead, had to crack open my biology books and Google how to write an autopsy report to uh.. Then be intimidated by how detailed the reports are and try simplify it in my own language! At least only one other fella gets autopsied later, or whatever is left of em. What better thing to do on a schoolnight! See you guys in like, June! 👋
