Hawaiian Monk Seal
Jason M.
Description Monk seals have streamline bodies and strong back flippers that make them fast swimmers, so they can catch their prey. They are darker on their back and lighter on the stomach. The male monk seal can weigh up to 400 pounds, and the female can weigh up to 600 pounds. When the monk seal is not hunting or feeding, it will bask on the sand. The scientific name of the monk seal is Monachus schauinslandi. Monk seals shed their hair. The hair gradually changes color through the year. Sunlight and seawater cause the dark gray to become brown and the light silver to become yellow-brown, while long periods of time spent in the water can also increase algae growth.
Habitat The monk seals live are in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. They are mostly found inside lagoons, or coral reefs. A small growing population lives around The Hawaiian Islands such as Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Molokai, Kaho’olawe, Lanai, Niihau,and Kauai. They like deep water outside the reef at a depth of 300 meters.
Diet Monk seals mainly eat fish with thick bones. They also feed on octopus. Younger monk seals feed on smaller octopus and more mature monk seal feed on bigger octopus. Monk seals like to eat lobsters and squid.
Why the Monk Seal is Endangered Fishing nets could catch the the monk seals and sometimes even kill the monk seal. Sometimes the Monk Seal could get stuck in trash. Tiger sharks and Galapagos sharks decrease the population of monk seals. Their predators are Tiger sharks and Galapagos sharks. The monk seals sometimes runs away from the sharks or they hide in
small caves. Although humans can also be a danger to monk seals. Humans cut the skin off of monk seals for different reasons.
Bibliography "Hawaiian Monk Seal." Wikipedia. N.p., 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_monk_sealâ&#x20AC;&#x2039; >. Ching, Patrick. The Hawaiian Monk Seal. Honolulu, HI: University Of Hawaii Press, 1994. Print. "Hawaiian Monk Seal." Defenders Of Wildlife. N.p., N.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://www.defenders.org/hawaiian-monk-seal/basic-facts>.