Stegostoma tigrinum

Status: Endangered In colonial Philippines, Spanish lore and culture was woven into the fabric of local folk traditions. One such myth was about guardians of the water, called Sirena (female) and Sireno (male), who have the head and torso of a human, and the tail of a fish.

Sirena have sweet voices that they lift in song to enchant fishermen and sailors. When an unfortunate soul falls victim to the hypnotic cadences of the bewitching sea creatures, they are drawn into the embrace of the water. Some stories say these unfortunate ones are sacrificed to sea gods, but on rare occasion the tables are turned and a Sirena or Sireno becomes enchanted instead with a human, falling in love, and discarding their vicious games.

At the end of the summer, the pre-colonial Bikol moon diety, Bulan, is said to swim in the silver-lit waves of the oceans, protected by Sirena against sea monsters.