Photos of the rare Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) on the beach and in the water of the Midway Atoll/Hawaii
Approximately 60 Hawaiian Monk Seals (Monachus schauinslandi) live on the Midway Atoll. These animals, which live in the north-west of the archipelago on remote and uninhabited islands, are exclusively found here and in no other place in the world. The seals reach a length of two metres and a weight of 200 to 300 kilograms. They feed on reef fish, octopus and lobsters which they find in the shallow water.
But they are also capable of catching their food in the open sea. Monk Seals, which belong to the rarest mammals in the world, are extraordinarily sensitive against human influence of all kinds and are threatened by extinction. The overfishing of the seas threatens the seals; another problem is the pollution of the sea.
The Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) is Europe’s rarest mammal and belongs to the most threatened animals in the world.
There are three species of Monk Seals:
- Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi, estimated population approx. 1,000 animals)
- Caribbean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis, presumably extinct)
- Mediterranean Monk Seal ((Monachus monachus, estimated population 300 - 400 animals)
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