The Remains Of A Creature Known As The "Sea Monkey" Have Been Kept At Japan's Enju-in Temple For Decades.

Japan is said to be home to many mythological creatures, including the ningyo, a type of human-fish hybrid, and the kappa, a green, human-like creature with webbed hands and a turtle shell on its back.

While few would expect to see one of these creatures in real life, visitors to Enju-in Temple in the city of Asakuchi can see the mummified remains of something very similar: an ape-like creature with sharp teeth and fish scales.

It's not exactly clear where this bizarre specimen came from, but for the past 12 months, scientists at Kurashiki University of Science and Arts (KUSA) have been examining the remains, trying to figure out exactly what it is and what it is.

Using a combination of X-rays, CT scans, DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating, the team discovered that the 'sea monkey' was actually a mixture of parts from various other things.

Completely devoid of any internal skeletal structure, the creature is made mostly of cloth, cotton, and paper, which has then been coated with some sort of substance made from charcoal and sand.

READ MORE: ON CREATURES, MYTHS AND LEGENDS

The hair on his head is animal hair and the scales are from two different species of fish.

His body is covered with swollen skin and his nails appear to be made of animal horns.

"Dried Mermaid Fish Body" from the Enju-in Collection, is covered with skin of a coaker and the torso is made of cloth and paper," the group writes.

'It is made of laminated paper and the skin from puffer fish, with cotton and other fillings and a chalk-like substance as a base, and was probably made in the late 19th century."