Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus Schauinslandi)
By: Matt Nakasuji
Sporting its grey coat, white belly and torpedo like
physique the monk seal has become a staple in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands
where it is, also, known as, “Ilio holo I ka uaua. Which can be translated to
mean, “the dog that goes in rough water.” However, this is no ordinary dog,
with males weighing in at a staggering 300 to 400 pounds and females weighing
in at a whopping 400 to 600 pounds.
Description and Ecology:
Sporting its grey coat, white belly and torpedo like
physique the monk seal has become a staple in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands
where it is, also, known as, “Ilio holo I ka uaua. Which can be translated to
mean, “the dog that goes in rough water.” However, this is no ordinary dog,
with males weighing in at a staggering 300 to 400 pounds and females weighing
in at a whopping 400 to 600 pounds.
Primarily known for its excess layers of
skin around its neck, it looks as if this majestic creature is wearing a monks
robe, hense the name. Through its estimated 25-30 years of life, the monk seal
tends to lay out on sandy beaches and volcanic rock waiting for its next meal.
Typically consuming between 5.8 and 12.9% of their body mass each day, the monk
seal has a broad and diverse diet, due to foraging plasticity, which allows
them to be opportunistic predators that feed on a wide variety of available
prey.
Listing Date and Type of Listing:
The Hawaiian Monk Seal was added to the endangered species
list on December 23, 1976. Since then, efforts have been made to revitalize the
population with the latest recovery plan coming on August 22, 2007.
Cause of listing, Main Threats & Population changes
The Hawaiian monk seal population has been labeled as
critical due to the fact that they are very vulnerable to both natural and
anthropogenic factorsThe small population of about 1,100 individuals
is
threatened by human encroachment, very low levels of genetic variation,
entanglement in fishing nets, marine debris, disease, and past commercial
hunting for skins. The Hawaiian Monk Seal
population has been gradually
declining as the graph illustrates.
Even before the last recovery plan was established in 2007
there have been extensive efforts made in order to give the Hawaiian monk seal
a chance at long term viability and eventual removal form the Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife List. Factors such as a reduction in disturbance on
breeding beaches and reduction in
entanglement have been applied and seem to be slowly helping. The recovery plan
consists of 6 key factors:
- Investigate and mitigate factors affecting food limitation
- Prevent entanglements of monk seals
- Reduce shark predation
- Prevent introduction and spread of infectious diseases
- Conserve the habitat
- Reduce human disturbance
Works Cited:
http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A071
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/hawaiianmonkseal.pdf
Photo #1: http://www.kauaimonkseal.com/Home.html
Photo #2: http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/hawaiianmonkseal.pdf
Photo #3: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/Hawaiian_monk_seal/
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