Hawaiian monk seals

(Monachus schauinslandi)

Quick Facts Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) Endangered: only about 1,200 left Habitat: waters off the Hawaiian Islands Strong swimmers: able to stay at sea for as long as a month able to dive 600 feet can hold their breath for 20 minutes Food: fish, octopus, eels and lobsters Adults have gray or brown fur, and babies are black. They grow up to seven feet long and weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. They can live as long as 30 years.Member Art and Research From Indian Mills Memorial School, Shamong, NJ Pinnipeds From Bank Street School for Children, NYC Seals

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The Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is considered the most endangered seal in U.S. waters, with are only about 1,200 left. The most endangered seal in the world is another species of monk seal, the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), of which there are only about 600 seals left in the Mediterranean. The Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis), a third species of monk seal, is now extinct.

Hawaiian monk seals are found in the northwest part of the Hawaiian Islands. They spend a lot of time at sea sometimes as long as a month. They are able to dive 600 feet deep, and can stay under water for up to 20 minutes. They eat fish, octopus, eels and lobsters. Adults have gray to brownish fur, grow up to seven feet long, and weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. They can live as long as 30 years. These seals are born on land. Every year, usually in May or June, females find sandy beaches and give birth to a single pup. Sharks are natural predators to the monk seals. The female seals avoid beaches where the water becomes deep very quickly because this lets sharks swim close to land and catch the seals. Mothers take care of their pups for six weeks. During that entire time, they do not leave the beach even to eat. Instead, they live off of fat that they have stored up over the previous year and feed their pups with a fat rich milk. Usually seals can be found with their pups on very remote beaches. However, recent births have been reported in the main Hawaiian Islands including Oahu, Kawai and Molokai. Human disturbance has been identified as the primary factor in the decline of the species. In fact, if humans come too near a mother seal too often, she will abandon her pup and go out to sea. Unfortunately, this usually means death for the pup. It is now against the law for people to come within 100 yards of a seal on a beach to help prevent abandonment of pups. After six weeks, the mother leaves her pup on the beach and the young seal must go out to sea and start to find food for itself.

Current research has shown that the decline in the Hawaiian monk seal population is due to lack of survival of these seals at one of the most important breeding beaches at French Frigate Shoals. Also, seals often get tangled in fishermenÕs nets and other trash in the oceans. It has been suggested that the fish that seals eat have been reduced by fishermen and by changes in weather patterns like the El Niño event. If these threats were not enough, during the mating season, aggressive males will attack females until they are badly injured or eventually killed. This behavior is known as mobbing, and was identified as a primary cause of mortality in some breeding populations of monk seals.

Several measures have been developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the federal agency in charge of the management and protection of the Untied States' marine resources, to save the species from extinction. In an effort to increase the survival of female pups being weaned, NMFS brought several pups to Oahu for rehabilitation. After 6 months of feeding and fattening under human care, seals were released to other sites where they had a better chance for survival.

During 1995, seals brought into captivity developed severe eye infections, and therefore, were not be able to be released into their native habitat. The rehabilitation program is on hold until the causes of that eye disease have been identified. The infected seals will be kept in captivity for the rest of their lives to teach the public about the species and ways to protect them. Dr. Alonso Aguirre worked for several years with the seals in the wild to learn if this eye disease and other disease conditions are affecting the wild population. Now as part of the WPTI team, Dr. Aguirre continues his intensive research to determine the mortality factors that affect this unique and wonderful species.

Do you have questions about monk seals?
E-mail Alonso Aguirre to ask him about his work.