Zebra Shark
Stegostoma tigrinum
Status: Endangered due to being heavily fished in their range, as well as habitat degradation. They are slow to mature, and thus any rebounding of population takes a long time.
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 occasions the tables are turned and a Sirena or Sireno becomes enchanted instead with a human, falling in love, and discarding their vicious games.
Even before the Spanish arrived and put the name "sirena" to mermaids, the Ilocano people had a story of a woman of the waters (rivers). She was a woman who caught the eye of the ruler, Maginoo Palisipas. Struck by her beauty, and her kindness in guiding fishermen upon treacherous stretches of waterways, he married her. She was known as the "queen of the rivers". There are also tales of such a being as a mermaid spirit of the waters, and she bestows blessings and gifts to those who speak and think well of her. But for those with ill intent, she is vicious, and with long sharp nails will kill those.
References:
Gaverza, Karl. "Magindara, Guardian Sirena or Cannibal of the Sea". The Aswang Project, 2016.
Beyer-Bagatsing, Charity. "Sirena Stories, the Mythical Mermaid of the Philippines". The Aswang Project, 2016. https://www.aswangproject.com/sirena/
Reyes y Florentino, I. d. l. (1889). El folk-lore filipino. Philippines: (n.p.) pg 35-40 .
Reyes y Florentino, I. d. l., Dizon, S. C., Imson, M. E. P. (1994). El folk-lore filipino. Philippines: University of the Philippines Press.
Blumentritt, F. (2021). Dictionary of Philippine Mythology. Philippines: High Banks Entertainment Limited pg 231.