Mediterranean Monk Seal

Historically, the Mediterranean monk seal occupied a wide geographical range with colonies throughout the Mediterranean, Marmara and Black seas, and even along the Atlantic coast of Africa. But today the monk seal survives in only a portion of its original range.

Historically, the Mediterranean monk seal occupied a wide geographical range with colonies throughout the Mediterranean, Marmara and Black seas, and even along the Atlantic coast of Africa. But today the monk seal survives in only a portion of its original range.

During the 20th century, the monk seal was extirpated from mainland France and Corsica, Spain and the Balearic Islands, Italy, Sicily and the Toscana archipelago, and Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Tunisia.

1 - What does the Mediterranean monk seal look like?
Adult male seals average 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) in length and weigh approximately 315 kilograms (694 pounds). Females are slightly smaller, weighing approximately 300 kilograms (661 pounds). Adults are generally brown or gray on the back and lighter on the belly with a white patch on the underside of the belly. Other irregular light patches are not uncommon. Older males tend to be black. Pups are born with a white or yellow patch on the belly of the otherwise black, woolly coat.

2 - What is the population of this species?
Today only about 300 to 500 individuals remain. Individuals may live for 20-30 years in the wild.

3 - Do they continue to reproduce normally in the wild?
Due to habitat exclusion caused by human encroachment, females now pup only in caves in remote and relatively undisturbed areas. Males and females are thought to reach sexual maturity between five and six years of age, although some females may mature as early as age four. Pups are born through much of the year, although peak pupping occurs in September and October. Monk seal pups can swim and dive at about two weeks of age and are weaned at about 16-17 weeks.

4 - Are Mediterranean monk seals a protected species?
The species is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

5 - What threats do these seals face?
The Mediterranean monk seal is threatened by deliberate killings (fishers still consider the species a pest and a competitor for increasingly scarce resources); incidental capture in fishing gear; decreased food availability; destruction of habitat; and pollution. Other threats to the species include disease and toxic algae. In the summer of 1997, two-thirds of the largest surviving population of Mediterranean monk seals was wiped out within the space of two months on the Côte des Phoques in the Western Sahara.

Because the Mediterranean monk seal is sensitive to human disturbance, continued development of once isolated habitat has had a significant impact on the already fragmented and declining species. Pups are also susceptible to inclement weather in their birth caves, and may be washed away and drowned during storms. Captive breeding programs have been initiated and abandoned, and discussions about them have arisen again.

* Source: International Fund for Animal Welfare, IFAW, http://www.ifaw.org/