NPR

'Mermaids' And 'Mermen' Of Brazil Refuse To Be Tamed

Tail-costumed swimmers in the South American nation say they will not bend despite official safety warnings.
Davi de Oliveira Moreira, known as "<em>Sereio</em>" (merman in Portuguese), poses in costume at Arpoador Rock on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last May.

Members of the small but growing shoal of mermaids and mermen in Brazil are getting a little worried and irate.

Until now, they've been able to slip happily into their brightly colored tails and glide away through the water without much attention from the outside world, beyond the odd chuckle or ripple of applause.

Now "mermaiding" — or "" as it's known in Brazil — is growing more popular, thanks partly to a smash-hit TV soap opera

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