Hawaiian Monk Seal

Presentation by : Nicholas Tupp

Scientific Name: Monachus schauinslandi

AppearanceWhat does the Hawaiian Monk Seal look like?

• A Hawaiian Monk Seal has grey /black colour for their fur and they have a light grey and white underbelly. They have two flippers and a tail that are good for swimming with. A Hawaiian Monk Seal also has two black eyes and a flat, rectangular shaped nose with two nostrils and whiskers.

• Size: Length, 7.5 ft (2.3 m) • Weight: 500 to 610 lbs (225 to 275 kg)

Size compared to a 6 foot (2 metre) man

Location

Where does it live?

• Hawaiian monk seals live inthe far away NorthwesternHawaiian Islands.Most seals like to live incolder climates but Hawaiianmonk seals prefer warm,sandy beaches.

Habitat

What sort of habitat does it live in?

• Small islands and atolls that are either uninhabited (not lived on) or little-used by humans. They are also surrounded with lots of coral reefs.

Diet

What does it eat?Diet: Carnivore• Opportunistic predators that feed on a wide

variety of available prey including fish, spinylobsters, octopuses, and eels.

• Mother monk seals don't eat during the first 5-6weeks after their pups are born and may losehundreds of pounds.

Reproduction

How many newborn does it have at once?• One pup - The fetus takes 9 months to develop (like humans)

How often? • Once a year

Nursing• Pups are born on beaches and nursed for about six weeks.• Mother monk seals are dedicated and remain with their pups

constantly for the first five or six weeks of their lives.

Threats

What are its threats?

• Tiger sharks• Galapagos sharks• Humans have moved into many of the

Monk Seals habitats • Monk seals have been victims of fisheries

- usually accidental by catch • Male Hawaiian Monk Seals sometimes kill

females of their own species in group attacks called “mobbing.”

Population How many are left?

• About 1,300 to 1,400 Hawaiian monk seals survive.

• Their numbers are believed to have fallen more than ten percent per year since 1989.

Activities What does it do during the day and at night?

• Monk seals spend 2/3 of their time at sea, looking for food in deep water outside the reefs• Come ashore to rest on beaches.• Use vegetation on the edge of the sand as shelter from storms

What does it do in different seasons?

• Mate in the water during their breeding season from December to August.

• Birth happens in March and June

Conservation Are they being protected? What is being done to help them?

• There are more males than females. Males can be aggressive to females causing them to die. Need to increase female survival rates.

• Project “Headstart” began in 1981, collected and tagged female pups after weaning, and placed them in a large, enclosed water and beach area with food and with no disturbances. The female pups remain during the summer months, leaving at roughly age three to seven months.

• Project “French Frigate Shoals” began in 1984. It collected severely underweight female pups, placed them in protective care and fed them. When they are older sent them to Kure Atoll.

• Collecting information on individual Monk seals to decide how to help them.• Created a Marine sanctuary – Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge• Making people more Aware – Hawaiian Monk seal made Hawaii’s official State

Mammal – June 2008• Education• Volunteers to protect the seals when they are on the beaches.

Endangered

What is the biggest issue causing them to become endangered?

• By the end of the 19th century they were nearly extinct due to being hunted by seal hunters.

• Today the Hawaiian Monk seals biggest threats are human disturbances, such as beachcombing and jogging, pet dogs and rubbish on the beaches. These disturbances can have bad effects on the survival of the seal pups.

Other Interesting Facts….

What are some other interesting facts?

• Average life span in the wild: 25 to 30 years

Bibliography

• animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/.../hawaiian-monk-seal/ - Cached – Similar

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_monk_seal – Cached

• Google images