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Hawaiian Marine Life - Hawaiian Monk Seal |
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Hawaiian Monk Seals Most pups are born between February and July, with a peak in April-May. Birth weight is 11 to 15 kg; normal weaning weight is 50 to 80 kg (3 ft long and 23 pounds) Nursing time is 5-6 weeks, during which mothers do not eat. Nursing pups are sometimes exchanged between females. Females give birth on beaches with adjoining shallow waters, which provide protection from sharks. Females give birth for the first time at five to nine years of age. Monk seals can spend up to a month at sea. The Hawaiian monk seal, a relative of warm-water seals found in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, was nearly slaughtered into extinction for its skin and oil during the 19th century. Monk Seals Blinded by Science? Recovery Plan for the Hawaiian Monk Seal (2007 revision)
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This rare seal is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and is found nowhere else in the world. Its primary natural habitat lies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the most remote part of the Hawaiian chain. The Hawaiian monk seal is in crisis: the population is in a decline that Occasionally, monk seals are sighted around the major high islands of the Hawaiian chain. Recently, some females have even come ashore to give birth and nurse their pups; these individuals are considered to be "stragglers" from the main population to the northwest.
When they are hunting on the reef, they may stay underwater for more than 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how deep they dive and how active they are underwater. Monk seals have been known to dive to about 1,650 feet (500 m), but most of their diving is probably much shallower. Large tiger sharks are their main natural predator, and the presence of sharks may be another possible reason for the seals to minimize their time in the water (and maximize their time on the beach). Monk seals are not social seals and do not form harems or other large groups seen in some seal and sea lion species. Females give birth for the first time at five to nine years of age. Seal pups are usually born in the spring. They nurse for 5 to 6 weeks and can quadruple their birth weight of 35 pounds (16 kg). After weaning, pups live off their fat while they learn to forage for themselves. Some research and recovery projects aim to assure pup and juvenile survival in the wild.
USFWS Monk Seal Sight for Threatened and Endangered Animals Monk Seal Webcam at Waikiki Aquarium Starvation, sharks cut monk seal population
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Hawaiian
monk seals naturally spend about a third of their time resting and sleeping
on shore. They are not "lazy," but conserve energy between
their hunting and foraging trips. They are known to feed on reef fish,
octopus, and lobster, as well as other types of prey.