The
Hawaiian monk seal,
Monachus schauinslandi, is an
endangeredAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. Also it could mean that due to deforestation there may be a lack of food and/or water...
earless sealThe true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. All true seals are members of the family Phocidae . They are sometimes called crawling seals to distinguish them from the fur seals and sea lions of the family Otariidae...
that is
endemicEndemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, habitat type, nation or other defined zone. To be endemic to a place or area means that it is found only in that part of the world and nowhere else. For example, many species of lemur...
to the
Hawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
.
Known to the native Hawaiians as
Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, or "dog that runs in rough water," it received its scientific name
Monachus schauinslandi when Dr. H. Schauinsland discovered the first
skullThe skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and protects the brain from injury.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium...
known to science on Laysan Island. Its common name derives from its round head covered with short hairs, giving it the appearance of a medieval
friarA friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:Friars differ from monks in that they are called to live the evangelical counsels in service to a community, rather than through cloistered asceticism and devotion...
. The name may also reflect the fact that it lives a solitary existence relative to other species that collect in large colonies. Hawaiian monk seals are the most primitive living members of the Family Phocidae, having separated from other true seals perhaps 15 million years ago.
Description
Mature Hawaiian monk seals feature a gray pelage, or coat, which weathers to a brown shade. Juvenile Hawaiian monk seals are silver with creamy white stomachs, chests, and throats. Pups are black and woolly bare clad in a black natal fur. A number of Hawaiian monk seals sport scars from
sharkSharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago, before the time of the dinosaurs....
attacks or injuries from fishing gear. Females are often scarred by encounters with males, which can be particularly brutal during sex. Adult males are in weight and in length while adult females tend to be pounds and feet in length. Pups average at birth and in length. Life expectancies are 25 to 30 years.
Endangered status
The Hawaiian monk seal is among the most endangered of all seal species, although its cousin species the
Mediterranean Monk SealThe Mediterranean Monk Seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family. At some 350-450 remaining individuals it is believed to be the world's second rarest pinniped , and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.It is present in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic...
(
M. monachus) is even rarer, and the
Caribbean Monk SealThe Caribbean Monk Seal or West Indian Monk Seal is an extinct species of seal. It is the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The last verified recorded sighting occurred in 1952 at Serranilla Bank...
(
M. tropicalis), last sighted the 1950s, was officially declared extinct in June 2008. The population of Hawaiian monk seals is in decline. In 2010, it was estimated that only 1100 individuals remain. It is listed as critically endangered. The Hawaiian monk seal was officially designated as an endangered species on November 23, 1976, and is now protected by the
Endangered Species ActThe Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. As stated in section 2 of the act, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate...
and the
Marine Mammal Protection ActThe Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 was the first article of legislation to call specifically for an ecosystem approach to natural resource management and conservation. MMPA prohibits the taking of marine mammals, and enacts a moratorium on the import, export, and sale of any marine mammal,...
.
Today, even though the islands are protected, many scientists believe that the effects of human activity along these fragile coastlines (and in the world at large) are still taking their toll
It is illegal to kill, capture or harass a Hawaiian monk seal.
To raise awareness for the species' plight, the Hawaiian monk seal was declared
HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It occupies most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia...
's official State Mammal on June 11, 2008 by Lieutenant Governor
James AionaJames R. "Duke" Aiona, Jr. , is the 11th and current Lieutenant Governor of Hawai`i. He is of Chinese, Hawaiian, and Portuguese descent...
.
Threats
Seal populations have declined rapidly in recent years due to the rapid spread of human activity to even the most remote and isolated areas in the Hawaiian Islands. In the nineteenth century, Hawaiian Monk Seals were clubbed to death by
whalersWhaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms dates to at least 3,000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
and
sealersSeal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, as well as Namibia, the Danish region Greenland, Norway, and Russia...
for meat, oil and skin. U.S. forces hunted them during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945 which involved most of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
while occupying Laysan Island and
MidwayMidway Atoll is a 2.4-square-mile atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean , about one-third of the way between Honolulu and Tokyo. Midway Atoll is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States...
.
Predation by
sharkSharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago, before the time of the dinosaurs....
s, such as the
tiger sharkThe tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, is a species of requiem shark and the only member of the genus Galeocerdo. Tiger shark is a large macropredatory shark and can attain a length of over . This shark typically reaches maturity at lengths of . It is found in many tropical and temperate oceans, and...
, reduced pup survival. As the result of human disturbances,
ciguateraCiguatera is a foodborne illness caused by eating certain reef fishes whose flesh is contaminated with toxins originally produced by dinoflagellates such as Gambierdiscus toxicus which lives in tropical and subtropical waters. These dinoflagellates adhere to coral, algae and seaweed, where they are...
poisoning, high male to female ratios occurred during the breeding season, and entanglement in
fishing netA fishing net or fishnet is a net that is used for fishing. Fishing nets are meshes usually formed by knotting a relatively thin thread. Modern nets are usually made of artificial polyamides like nylon, although nets of organic polyamides such as wool or silk thread were common until recently and...
s and debris have killed many animals. In the northwestern Hawaiian islands, starvation is a serious problem.
LobsterClawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets more than US$1 billion annually....
s, the seals' preferred food other than fish, have been overfished and competition from other apex predators such as sharks,
jacksJack may refer to these fish:In Carangidae family:*Almaco jack*Amberjack*Bar jack*Black jack *Crevalle jack*Giant trevally or ronin jack*Jack mackerel*Leather jack*Yellow jackIn other fish*Coho salmon, males called "jacks"...
, and
barracudaThe barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and in width...
s, leaves little left over for developing pups. The creation of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument enclosing these islands may lead to more abundant food supplies.
In areas where male seals outnumber females, several males may compete for a single female, known as
mobbing, often accidentally killing the female. Females of any age including pups can become targets.
These threats have taken a toll on the species. It has been nearly eradicated from the main Hawaiian Islands. The population there is approximately 150. It is currently found on
LaysanLaysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size...
,
MidwayMidway Atoll is a 2.4-square-mile atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean , about one-third of the way between Honolulu and Tokyo. Midway Atoll is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States...
,
Pearl and Hermes AtollThe Pearl and Hermes Atoll , is part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Named after two English whaleships, the Pearl and the Hermes, that wrecked there in 1822, a few, small, sandy islands exist, contained within a lagoon and surrounded by a coral reef. These islands are devoid of vegetation,...
,
French Frigate ShoalsThe French Frigate Shoals is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the shoals...
, and
LisianskiLisianski Island is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, with a land area of and a maximum elevation of above sea level. Honolulu is away, to the southeast. Linked to Lisianski are the extensive Neva Shoals...
.
In the summer of 2009, two monk seals were shot and killed.
Slowly, however, the monk seals are returning to the main Hawaiian Islands. Lone seals have been sighted in surf breaks and on beaches in
KauaiKauai or Kauai is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago and the 21st largest island in the United States...
,
NiihauNiihau or Niihau is the smallest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii, having an area of . Niihau lies across the Kaulakahi Channel, southwest of Kauai. Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland habitats for the Hawaiian Coot, the Black-winged Stilt, and the...
,
MauiThe island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles and is the United States' 17th largest island. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai...
, and
O'ahu's Turtle BayTurtle Bay is located between Protection Point and Kuilima Point on the North Shore of the island of O'ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. A World War II concrete bunker stands at the tip of the bay's eastern point.-Geography and environment:...
and some of the other islands. They often leave the water
haul out on busy tourist beaches, where they are vulnerable to disturbance. In early June 2010, 2 seals were seen hauled out on Oahu's popular Waikiki beach. NOAA has cultivated a network of volunteers who protect the seals while they bask or bear and nurse their young. In 2006, twelve pups were born in the main Hawaiian Islands, rising to thirteen in 2007, and eighteen in 2008. As of 2008 43 total pups have been counted in the main Hawaiian islands.
NOAA is funding considerable research on seal population dynamics and health in conjunction with the Marine Mammal Center.
- Mediterranean Monk Seal
The Mediterranean Monk Seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family. At some 350-450 remaining individuals it is believed to be the world's second rarest pinniped , and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.It is present in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic...
- Caribbean Monk Seal
The Caribbean Monk Seal or West Indian Monk Seal is an extinct species of seal. It is the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The last verified recorded sighting occurred in 1952 at Serranilla Bank...
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