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Hawaiian Monk Seal | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Hawaiian Monk Seal

Neomonachus schauinslandi

MammaliaWarm tropical waters, coral atolls and sandy beaches of the Hawaiian archipelagoEndangered

Field profile

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of only two surviving monk seal species and the only seal endemic to the tropical Pacific. It hauls out on beaches and forages on reef and deep slope habitats. The population numbers in the low thousands and is intensively managed.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-05-17

Hawaiian Monk Seal

The last warm-water seals are barely holding on

Almost all seals live in cold seas. The Hawaiian monk seal is a tropical exception with a population in the low thousands, and its closest relative, the Caribbean monk seal, was declared extinct within living memory.

Read with evidence →