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Where do I live?
I live in the northwest Hawaiian Islands. These islands
are to the north and the west of the main Hawaiian
islands. I like to hang out by myself, like a monk.
How many of me are there?
There are less than
1,300 of me left. There
are more of me in the
small islands to the north
and west of the main
eight Hawaiian islands
than in the main
Hawaiian islands.
There are fewer and
fewer of me each year.
How can someone identify me?
I am a silvery grey colored with a cream color throat. As I
gets older, I get yellow below and brown on top. As we get
older still, we turn almost black. This camoflages me from
sharks. It is called counter shading and is a defense
mechanism.
What do I eat?
I eat a variety of prey including fish, squid and lobster. I
go hunting at night. I am known to hunt deeper than
1,000 feet and look in the benthos for food, like my
cousin the bearded seal.
How often do I reproduce and
How do I raise my young?
I only have one baby
and don’t reproduce
every year. I can
reproduce after the age
of 9.
My pup is about 3 feet
long, jet black, and
weighs 30-35 pounds. It
nurses for 6 weeks. I
don’t eat that whole
time.
How long do I live? What
should
I be afraid of?
I live for 25 to 30 years. I am
afraid of tiger sharks,
aggressive males, which eat
babies and females, and
marine debris which I get
tangled in and can swallow
and make me sick.
I am not afraid of polar bears.
Why am I important to you?
During the 1800’s, I was
hunted for meat and fur.
Humans thought they killed
us all, but I survived. Today I
am one of the world’s most
endangered animals.
Do YOU think I am important?
What will happen if there are
no more Hawaiian Monk
Seals?
How does global climate
change effect me?
Scientists say there might be
fewer beaches because of
ocean level rising. Global
climate change affects
Hawaiian Monk Seals
because the seals use the
beaches for mating, raising
young, and most importantly,
resting.
References and Resources
Slide 2: Map from NWHI for
Teachers,http://www.hawaiianatolls.org/teachers/NavChange.php, 11/02/10
Slide 3: Seal Facts, www.mcbi.org/what/what_pdfs/sealFacts.pdf, 11/02/10
Slide 4, The Encyclopedia of Earth, eoearth.org/article/hawaiian_monk_seal,
10/18/10
Slide 5, Hawaiian Monk Sea,
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/pinnipeds/hawaiianmonkseal.htm,
11/02/10
Slide 6: Directory of Kauai, net/blog/hawaiian-monk-seal-breeding, 10/18/10
Slide 7: Hawaiian Monk Seals,
http://www.animalinfo.org/species/carnivor/monascha.htm, 10/18/10
Shark picture: wendmag,
http://marinesciencetoday.com/2009/08/28/latest-coastal-shark-survey-completed/,
10/18/10
Slide 8:Hawaiian Monk Seals, http://www.mcbi.org/what/monk_seals.html
11/02,10
Slide 9:Hawaiian Monk Seal information facts
www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/Hawaiian_monk_seal.php
10/18/10