The Hawaiian Monk Seal
Monachus Schauinslandi
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Carnivora,Family: Phocidae, Genus: Monachus, Species: Schauinslandi
A swimming Hawaiian Monk Seal
A Hawaiian Monk Seal
A mother and a pup
So cute!
Description
Hawaiian Monk Seals weigh about 375-450lbs. Females are normally a little bitlarger than males. Their pups weigh up to about 35lbs. They have a silvery-grey back with a cream colored underside. Newborn Hawaiian Monk Seals are black. Additional light patches, red, and green colors are from attached algae. Their backs get darker as they get older, especially males. Hawaiian Monk Seals are about 7-7.5 feet. Pups are 3 feet at birth.
Habitat
Hawaiian Monk Seals live in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They use surrounding atolls, islands, and areas father offshore to rest. They also hang out on reefs and submerged banks.
ハワイアンモンクシール
Lifespan&Nutrition
Hawaiian Monk Seals live about 25-30 years. They eat fish, cephlapods, and crustaceans. During the day they rest on beaches. They spend about two-thirds of their life at sea.
Threats&Solutions
Some of the threats are: food limitations, entanglement in debris, mother-pup disturbance on beaches, male aggression towards females, and exposure to certain diseases. Many oraganizations are raising money to protect and save the Hawaiian Monk Seals. People are trying to keep humans off beaches where the Hawaiian Monk Seals rest and studies are being conducted to help find out the population and behavior of the Seals. Other oragnizations are trying to remove debris from the ocean. What should also be done to help save and protect the Monk Seals is to stop littering in the ocean, stop humans from going to beaches that the Monk Seals rest on during the day, and to keep fishermen from fishing where the Hawaiian Monk Seals swim and dive for food.