Caribbean monk seal

The Caribbean monk seal (Neomonachus tropicalis), also known as the West Indian seal or sea wolf, was a type of seal that lived in the Caribbean. It had few natural enemies, mostly American crocodiles, large sharks like great whites and tiger sharks, and possibly orcas. However, humans became its biggest threat.

People hunted these seals for their oil and meat, and also overfished the foods they ate, which likely caused their disappearance. The last confirmed sighting of a Caribbean monk seal was in 1952, at Serranilla Bank, near Jamaica and Nicaragua.

In 2008, after searching for five years, the United States officially declared the Caribbean monk seal extinct. This declaration was made by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Caribbean monk seal was closely related to the Hawaiian monk seal, which still lives around the Hawaiian Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, and the Mediterranean monk seal, found mainly near Greece.

Description

Caribbean monk seals were large seals that could grow up to nearly 2.4 metres long and weigh between 170 to 270 kilograms. They had a rounded head with a long, broad nose, big eyes, and long whiskers. Their bodies were brownish or grayish, with younger seals appearing paler and more yellowish. These seals also often had algae growing on their fur, giving them a slight greenish look.

Behavior and ecology

The Caribbean monk seal liked to rest on land in big groups of about 20 to 40 seals, and sometimes even up to 100. These groups may have been sorted by age or stage of life. They mostly ate fish and creatures with shells.

Like other true seals, the Caribbean monk seal moved slowly on land. They were not afraid of humans and were curious, which made them easy targets for hunters.

Reproduction and longevity

Caribbean monk seals had a long time for having baby seals, which is normal for seals living in warm places. In Mexico, most baby seals were born in early December. They had four special nipples to feed their babies. Newborn baby seals were about 1 metre long and weighed between 16 and 18 kilograms. They were born with a smooth, black coat. These seals likely lived for about twenty years.

The Caribbean monk seal nasal mite lived only inside the seal’s nose and disappeared when the seals did.

Habitat

Caribbean monk seals lived in warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the western Atlantic Ocean. They liked to rest on quiet, sandy beaches on small, faraway islands but sometimes went near the mainland or into deeper waters. These seals probably ate in shallow lagoons and near reefs.

Relationship with humans

The Caribbean monk seal was first seen by people in 1494 when Christopher Columbus's crew killed some seals on a beach. Over the next few hundred years, people kept hunting these seals for their oil and meat. By the 1800s, so many seals were killed that they became hard to find.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, scientists tried to study the seals, but they were hard to find. The seals were hunted until they likely disappeared. By 1967, they were listed as endangered, but they may have already gone extinct. Some people still report seeing seals today, but scientists think these might be other kinds of seals.