Meditrerranean Monk Seal

Facts about Mediterranean Monk Seals. This is one of the world’s most endangered species. "Scientific name for Mediterranean Monk Seal is Monachus monachus". There are less than 600 surviving mammals of Mediterranean Monk Seal today. Seals and sea lions and Walruses are semiaquatic mammals they are all in a group called pinnipeds, meaning "fin-footed".

The Mediterranean Monk Seal is known to seek shelter in remote areas in caves that are hard to access on cliff bound coasts. Most of these caves tend to have underwater entrances that are invisible from the water lines.

The Mediterranean Monk Seal was known to inhabit not seen sandy beaches and shoreline rocks and its current habitation is majorly attributed to the recent development of increased hunting along with other factors like urbanization of the coast.

An adult male Mediterranean Monk Seal is black in color and has a white belly patch: an adult female on the other hand is grey or brown and has a lighter coloration on the belly area. The Mediterranean Monk Seal is not unlike to find other forms of irregular patches on the back or throat of females and males respectively. Some of these marks are acquired in the process of mating and other social activities.

Mediterranean Monk Seal pups weigh about 33 to 44 pounds (15 to 20 kg) and they are 35 to 40 inches (88 to 103 cm) tall. At birth the Mediterranean Monk Seal pups have a white woolly coat that is otherwise dark chocolate or black in color.

The Mediterranean Monk Seal gets to sexual maturity at about 5 and 6 years of age (both male and female). Some female Mediterranean Monk Seal may mature at 4 years of age. Pups are known to swim and dive at two weeks old without any problems. The Mediterranean Monk Seal weans its pups at around the 16th or 17th weeks.

The Mediterranean Monk Seals feeds on fish and cephalopods; like squid and octopus found in coastal waters.

The Mediterranean Monk Seal can survive in the wild for up to 20 and 30 years.

An adult Mediterranean Monk Seal weighs approximately 550 to 660 pounds (250 to 300 kg).

The Mediterranean Monk Seal is slowly becoming extinct and today only two main populations are known. These are the northeastern Mediterranean and the northeast Atlantic found off the northwest African coast.