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Species Spotlight: The Hawaiian Monk Seal
What’s the connection between this mammal and Friar Tuck? Some think the loose brownish skin around the seal’s neck looks like the hood of a monk’s robe, and their round heads with short hairs resemble depictions of the friar in the Robin Hood tale. Others think the name is derived from the animal’s solitary way of life.
Hawaiians have created their own name for the creature, Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, which means “dog that runs in rough waters.” And, in fact, the Hawaiian monk seal’s closest modern-day terrestrial ancestors are the dog and the bear. But the seal’s swimming skills far outpace the doggy paddle. Despite weighing 400 to 600 pounds as adults, the animals’ streamlined bodies and four flippers allow them to swim speedily, dive as deep as 1,500 feet and stay underwater for as long as 30 minutes.
Monk seals are sometimes called “living fossils” because they have remained virtually unchanged for 15 million years. But much has changed around them in that time, and there are less than 1,500 monk seals left today, making them one of the most endangered marine mammals in the United States. Sealers killed thousands of the creatures in the past, and fishing nets and lines pose major threats in the present. Other perils include attacks by aggressive male seals and sharks, malnutrition and disease.
To overcome the threats, the survival of this band of merry monk seals may require a Robin Hood-like heroic effort on the part of biologists and conservationists.
