The mermaid’s purse hasn’t been out of style for millions of years. That’s because it is the fanciful name for the egg case for some of the oldest creatures on the planet — skates, rays ...

Each of the hundred or so pouches, known as mermaid purses, is the temporary home of a baby deep-sea skate — a spade-shaped fish related to rays and, more distantly, sharks.

Made of collagen secreted from an oviduct, the water-permeable pods — which sometimes wash up on beaches after the eggs have hatched — are whimsically known as "mermaid purses," according to a ...

“Oh, and the mermaid’s purse,” Eason added. If you catch one of their purses, be sure to look inside. You might find a gift certificate from an Ocean Springs merchant or another small gift.