True story--though it really can't compete with the rest of this thread...A biologist friend of mine was swimming in the Tamiami Canal one day, collecting some sort of research material--I think he was studying some kind of fish parasite--when suddenly he touched bottom. "Oh, touched bottom..." he thought, "...wait a minute! This canal is 25 feet deep!" The bottom began to rise...he was standing on a manatee.

And just remember, folks--manatees were the original mermaids, so treat 'em with the respect they deserve!