Hawaiian monk seal [SEP] IUCN conservation status
Hawaiian monk seal
The Hawaiian monk seal, "Neomonachus schauinslandi" (formerly "Monachus schauinslandi"), is an endangered species of earless seal in the family Phocidae that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
The Hawaiian monk seal is one of two remaining monk seal species; the other is the Mediterranean monk seal. A third species, the Caribbean monk seal, is extinct.
The Hawaiian monk seal is the only seal native to Hawaii, and, along with the Hawaiian hoary bat, is one of only
it extinct in 1996. The Japanese sea lion was common around the Japanese islands, but overexploitation and competition from fisheries drastically decreased the population in the 1930s. The last recorded individual was a juvenile in 1974.
Human relations Conservation.
As of 2013, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognizes 35 pinniped species. With the Japanese sea lion and the Caribbean monk seal recently extinct, ten more are considered at risk, as they are ranked "Critically Endangered" (the Mediterranean and Hawaiian monk seals