1. Hawaiian Monk Seal
Scientific Name: Monachus schauinslandi
Presentation by : Nicholas Tupp

2. Appearance
What does the Hawaiian Monk Seal look like?
• A Hawaiian Monk Seal has grey /black colour for their fur and
they have a light grey and white underbelly. They have two
flippers and a tail that are good for swimming with. A
Hawaiian Monk Seal also has two black eyes and a flat,
rectangular shaped nose with two nostrils and whiskers.
• Size: Length, 7.5 ft (2.3 m)
• Weight: 500 to 610 lbs (225 to 275 kg)

3. Location
Where does it live?
• Hawaiian monk seals live in
the far away Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands.
Most seals like to live in
colder climates but Hawaiian
monk seals prefer warm,
sandy beaches.

4. Habitat
What sort of habitat does it live in?
• Small islands and atolls that are either uninhabited (not lived
on) or little-used by humans. They are also surrounded with
lots of coral reefs.

5. Diet
What does it eat?
Diet: Carnivore
• Opportunistic predators that feed on a wide
variety of available prey including fish, spiny
lobsters, octopuses, and eels.
• Mother monk seals don't eat during the first 5-6
weeks after their pups are born and may lose
hundreds of pounds.

6. Reproduction
How many newborn does it have at once?
• One pup - The fetus takes 9 months to develop (like humans)
How often?
• Once a year
Nursing
• Pups are born on beaches and nursed for about six weeks.
• Mother monk seals are dedicated and remain with their pups
constantly for the first five or six weeks of their lives.

7. Threats
What are its threats?
• Tiger sharks
• Galapagos sharks
• Humans have moved into many of the
Monk Seals habitats
• Monk seals have been victims of fisheries
- usually accidental by catch
• Male Hawaiian Monk Seals sometimes kill
females of their own species in group attacks
called “mobbing.”

8. Population
How many are left?
• About 1,300 to 1,400 Hawaiian monk seals survive.
• Their numbers are believed to have fallen more than ten
percent per year since 1989.

9. Activities
What does it do during the
day and at night?
• Monk seals spend 2/3 of their time at sea, looking
for food in deep water outside the reefs
• Come ashore to rest on beaches.
• Use vegetation on the edge of the sand as
shelter from storms
What does it do in different seasons?
• Mate in the water during their breeding season from
December to August.
• Birth happens in March and June

10. Conservation
Are they being protected?
What is being done to help them?
• There are more males than females. Males can be aggressive to females
causing them to die. Need to increase female survival rates.
• Project “Headstart” began in 1981, collected and tagged female pups
after weaning, and placed them in a large, enclosed water and beach area
with food and with no disturbances. The female pups remain during the
summer months, leaving at roughly age three to seven months.
• Project “French Frigate Shoals” began in 1984. It collected severely
underweight female pups, placed them in protective care and fed them.
When they are older sent them to Kure Atoll.
• Collecting information on individual Monk seals to decide how to help
them.
• Created a Marine sanctuary – Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge
• Making people more Aware – Hawaiian Monk seal made Hawaii’s official
State Mammal – June 2008
• Education
• Volunteers to protect the seals when they are on the beaches.

11. Endangered
What is the biggest issue causing them to
become endangered?
• By the end of the 19th century they were nearly extinct due to
being hunted by seal hunters.
• Today the Hawaiian Monk seals biggest threats are human
disturbances, such as beachcombing and jogging, pet dogs
and rubbish on the beaches. These disturbances can have bad
effects on the survival of the seal pups.

12. Other Interesting Facts….
What are some other interesting facts?
• Average life span in the wild: 25 to 30 years

13. Bibliography
• animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/.../
hawaiian-monk-seal/ - Cached – Similar
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_monk_seal –
Cached
• Google images