Sea-lion

In heraldry, the term sea-lion (sometimes called a morse)[1] refers to a legendary creature that has the head and upper body of a lion, but with webbed forelimbs and a fish tail.

[1] Sea-lions are frequently found in "sejant" or "sejant-erect" (sitting upright) attitudes, but may also be found "naiant" (horizontally, as if swimming) or "assurgeant" (issuing from the waves of the sea).

[1] The sea-lion is prominent in the heraldic tradition of the Philippines, where it denotes state power and authority.

The heraldic device comes from Manila's colonial arms, where the sea-lion represents the islands as an ultramar (overseas) possession of Spain; the lion is ultimately derived from the arms of Castile and León.

On May 30, 1596, Philip II of Spain gave Manila its own specific coat of arms:[3]