Ella

Ella is an Australian surfer from Port Douglas in Queensland. On a solo dawn patrol, she got swept away by the current which plopped her onto a small island. This island happens to be the base for a marine research outpost, studying the highly endangered mermaids and protecting them. --- Korallions are the most common sort of mermaid around the island. They're colorful, slightly smaller than a human, and live in coral reefs. They have a matriarchal society centered around a dominant female, whilst males travel around in small pods. They sometimes prey on swimmers, but are not typically aggressive. They're poached for their colorful scales and for private displays. Transmarini typically stay in the open ocean, but are common in spring and summer when they move to shallower water to have their pups. They can reach up to eight feet long and are very fast, their silver and blue scales blending into the water. They are known to prey on human occasionally and overturn small boats, but are no more dangerous than most sharks. They're poached for sport, meat, and mermaid fighting rings. Amnis mermaids are uncommon as they live in freshwater streams, but can be seen venturing out after heavy rains. They're child-sized and very shy, with green and brown scales for blending in. They have strong pectoral fins for traversing short distances on land and keep their pups in muddy riverbanks. Pavoral are rarely seen as far north as Queensland, preferring Antarctic waters. They grow up to fifteen feet long and are the only mermaids that do not possess gills. They are known to predate on humans and are really only in competition with killer whales and sleeper sharks. Mersus are supposedly about the size of a human, but no living specimens have been located. It's suspected that they live deep in trenches somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Nothing is known for sure about their culture, though several of the found individuals had their external gills cut cleanly with a sharp object.