Just as an example of how sophisticated may be the translation of ancient texts to the modern languages: Slavic tales mention a strange beast called Camelopard, meaning Camel-Leopard in one. It is hard to guess, which particular ancient beast is meant. Its name speaks in favor of an evil carnivore.
A more detailed analysis of the ancient text, though, reveals the beast had a long neck that reminded the one of a camel, maybe, by oral description for a blind person, and also there were spots that covered the beast. Additional details take us to a giraffe, yes, the animal with a long neck, which one knows as in no way a carnivore at all!
Pictures of species reminding amphibian mermaids are known from multiple ancient cultures.
The greatest god in Babylonian kingdom was a merman with the name Onasis, also known as Ea, the Master of Waves, later also named Poseidon or Neptune. Sumerian literature (IV – III thousand years B.C.), Enki, one of the Supreme Gods, also was an amphibian species, as of the following phrase:
«Enki lies in swamps far and wide».
The classical writings by Alexander Polyhistor describe those unusual species, which inhabited our Earth long time ago, as amphibians. According to him, they preferred going back into sea for a night, spending days on soil.
According to Beros, a Babylonian priest and writer, who lived in IV – III century B.C., the civilization was brought to our planet by amphibian species. The intelligent species, with the name Oannes, was the first intelligent species that appeared from the sea. The body of him was fish, and under the fish head there was the other, [human], below there were legs as though of (kind of) a man and fish tail [behind them]. His voice was human, and the tongue clear, and his image remained up to our time. In the afternoon this Being usually talked with people, but did not eat at this time any food. He had given to people writing, sciences and arts. He had learnt them to build dwellings, to erect temples, to establish laws and to know the geometry bases. He had shown them seeds of the useful plants and has trained them to collect their fruits. In short, this Being had made all required that customs of people became softer and they could lead a civilized lifestyle. And his deeds (acts) were so comprehensive that since then and up to now anything essential had not been invented (devised) any more. After sunset this Being made for sea again and spent all night long in its depths because he was an amphibious.