Estimated population:

13,000 - 14,000 seals occurring only in the Hawaiian Archipelago and is listed as an endangered species under The Endangered Species Act.

Ways to identify this species:

Adults are generally light gray while pups are often black or dark gray. At maturity, this species reaches from 6 feet 11 inches to 7 feet 10 inches and weighs from 510 to 600 pounds.

Biology

• Monk seals mainly occupy the uninhabited atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands; however, some have been spotted around the Main Hawaiian Islands.


• The monk seal depends largely on the coral reefs for feeding. Their diet consists of fish, eels, octopuses, and crustaceans.


• Monk seals are very fast and efficient swimmers; they can travel long distances and dive over 800 feet.


• After four years, females reach sexual maturity but do not bear young until age 6 or 7. Similar to other species of seal, monk seals only bear 1 young per year. Although 90 percent of pups survive to weaning, in recent years, survival of pups post-weaning has been as low as 30 percent in some areas. There were 8 pup deaths this year at the French Frigate Shoals.