Ariel lived in Atlantica, a society of merfolk that was somewhere in the Atlantic.
But what would Ariel be like if she had evolved and lived someplace other than Atlantica?
Thankfully, aquatic evolutionary expert Joseph Shaw, associate professor at Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and his young daughter Emma (a mermaid expert) had all the answers.
#1 Coral Reef Ariel would be tiny and amazingly colorful!
Shaw says, “In coral reefs, one would expect perhaps the most attractive phenotypes that would include beautiful color patterns in their tails, many examples of mimicry, and amazing eyesight to take advantage of the crystal clear, bright sunny waters.”
Frills, colors, and pizzaz are the name of the game for coral reef mermaids. These mermaids would also be adorably tiny so they could hide in the various corals from predators.