A medium-sized seal — among the rarest seals on Earth with fewer than 1,500 individuals. The only seal endemic to Hawaii, evolved over millions of years in isolation.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The Hawaiian monk seal is a vulnerable species of earless seal in the family Phocidae that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
Source: Wikipedia — Hawaiian monk seal Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Silvery-gray body with light belly; pups born jet-black, molt to gray. Round face with large dark eyes.
Similar species. Other monk seal species (different oceans). Northern Fur Seal (visible external ears, longer flippers).
Voice. Bleats and growls on land; underwater vocalizations during courtship.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Fish (reef and bottom-dwelling species), octopus, squid, lobster, eels. Forages at depths to 500 m.
Behavior. One of only two monk seal species remaining (Mediterranean and Hawaiian; Caribbean monk seal extinct since 1952). Population fewer than 1,600 individuals; one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth. Recovery program has slowed but not reversed decline.
§ Range
Endemic to Hawaiian Islands
§ Habitat
Beaches, coral atolls, near-shore marine waters
§ Threats
Entanglement in marine debris, climate-driven reef changes, toxoplasmosis from feral cats, beach disturbance.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the hawaiian monk seal is currently classified as Endangered.
§ What helps
Don't approach seals on beaches (200 ft minimum). Pick up trash. Keep cats indoors. Donate to NOAA Hawaiian Monk Seal Program.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Hawaiian monk seal
- www.fws.gov — authoritative profile of Neomonachus schauinslandi
- IUCN Red List · taxon 13654
- iNaturalist · taxon 41789
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Neomonachus schauinslandi
§ Sources cited
- NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
- USFWS
- Marine Mammal Center
- IUCN Red List 2015
