Hawaiian Monk Seal

The Hawaiian monk seal, part of earless seal in the family Phocidae, is sadly one of the most endangered marine species in the world and is one of two remaining monk seal species, the other being the Mediterranean monk seal. A third species, the Caribbean monk seal, is believed to be extinct as the last sighting of one was in 1952 at Serranilla Bank, between Jamaica and Nicaragua.

In desperate need of conservation, these beautiful creatures are the only seal native to the equally beautiful Hawaii. Living mainly around the Northwestern Islands, there numbers currently stand at around 1400. They are currently on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s ‘Red List’ of endangered species.

Although tiger sharks, great white sharks and Galapagos sharks are their main predators, their history with mankind has seen their numbers dwindle over the last century. In the nineteenth century, large numbers of seals were killed by whalers and sealers for meat, oil and skin, then U.S. military forces hunted them during World War II, while occupying Laysan Island and Midway.