Hawaiian Monk Seal
(Monachus schauinslandi
)
The Hawaiian Monk Seal is an earless seal that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian Monk Seals weigh 450 lbs (200 kg) and 7 ft (2 m) in length. Hawaiian Monk Seal pups are usually born black, but adults turn a dark gray and a lighter gray on their stomachs. The Hawaiian Monk Seal along with the Hawaiian Hoary Bat are the only two mammals endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
The Hawaiian name for the monk seal is "ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua," which means “dog running in the rough water.” They look kind of doglike because they are related to the canine family. The seal’s common name comes from the thick fold of skin around the neck that resembles the hood of a monk’s robe. In addition, the seal lives a solitary lifestyle, unlike other seals that live in colonies.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal population faces many threats from predators, humans and climate change. Scientists estimate that there are about 1,400 Hawaiian Monk Seals surviving today. The population of the Hawaiian Monk Seal has recently seen a slight recovery, but it is still only at about one-third of their historic population. For these factors and others the IUCN has listed the Hawaiian Monk Seal as critically endangered.
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