can we just appreciate that alex taught us what letter dangerous began with in fwn then taught us how to spell the whole word AND how to spell animals in humbug<3
Affectionately nicknamed "King", this male specimen of Megaloedax decepta, the Great Florida Siren, was captured as a hatchling by water survey teams in the late 50s. Initially his captivity was intended for a particular study on the development of the species in magic-poor conditions, but due to the difficulty, danger, and fraught history of working with sirenkind, ended up as a model for further research. He also ended up somewhat of a mascot for the department, and for the first two years of his life was kept in a 50 gallon aquarium in a university classroom where he was fed mostly rats, mice, frogs, and eventually larger fish and mammals once attaining a greater size. This diet did not include any of the fairies that sirens would naturally prey upon, and as a result King essentially has a severe metabolic disorder that has left ailed to develop any magic abilities and senses normally found in his kind: he has no ability to glamor, nor can he detect or manipulate the magical fields that add an essential dimension to natural communication between sirens, essentially leaving him without an entire sense.
This got a bit long, more under the cut.
He is unfortunately also sexually imprinted on humans, though he does not seem to display a preference for any particular sex, so much as a fondness for individuals of taller stature and heavier build, with a noticeable preference for dark and silky clothing. When allowed to express romantic intent, he will do so by stockpiling dead or severely wounded animals in a secluded place, and attempting to lure his selected mate to his larder, as is standard for siren courtship. This behavior was initially discovered a few years after he was granted the ability to freely roam facility grounds, due to being too large to properly contain, in an incident wherein he selected a storage room to fill with roughly 37 dead birds (chickens, ducks, geese, one peacock), 15 cats, 3 dogs, and one goat, all of which he appearantly smuggled into the building in his stomach, regurgitated, and carefully arranged before being eventually being discovered by a female staffer, who was neither pleased by the smell nor interested in breeding with him.
The incident does illustrate an example of an inate behavior which was not learned, however. However, many aspects of siren social conduct and behavior are acquired via interactions between conspecifics, and King, having never met a "wild" individual of his kind, is essentially devoid of critical social skills that would allow him to successfully navigate peaceful interactions with his own kind.
Despite this his stunted condition, most of the research on sirens that is known is based on studies conducted on King or similar "tamed" sirens. There is a belief among some researchers that these sirens which have been human socialized represent hope for the possibility of aclimating a predatory "pariah" species to a civilized way of life. King, for example, can read fluently and speak eloquently, and and is an obedient and polite personality despite his quirks.