Hawaiian Monk Seal

The Hawaiian Monk Seal is an endangered seal that is endemic to the waters around the Hawaiian Islands. Known to the native Hawaiians as ʻIlio holo i ka uaua (dog that runs in rough waters), they get their common name from their bald appearance, solitary habits, and folds of skin around their heads which resembles a monk’s hood. Newborn pups are black and woolly with fuzzy short hair. Young seals are silver with creamy white stomachs, chests, and throats. Mature seals feature a gray pelage, which turns brown with weathering. Adult males average 300 to 400 pounds and 7 feet in length, while adult females tend to be 400 to 500 pounds and at 8 feet in length. Pups average 30 to 40 pounds at birth and 40 inches in length. Life expectancies are from 25 to 30 years, but although many protection efforts are in place, their numbers have fallen more than ten percent per year since 1989.

Nearly 90% of Hawaiian Monk Seals live around the tiny, uninhabited islands and atolls in the upper reaches of the Hawaiian archipelago. But, for approximately 25 seals, the waters and beaches of Kauai are home. These islands are also surrounded with teeming coral reefs, which serve as great foraging grounds for skilled seals to swim and dive for fish, spiny lobsters, octopuses, and eels that they usually catch at night. In the daylight hours, the seals come ashore to rest on beaches. When on land, they may look lethargic, sick, or even dead, but they should not be disturbed or approached.

Hawaiian Monk Seals molt annually. During a two-week span, the seal loses its entire layer of skin and overlying fur. The old skin and brown mottled fur strips away, leaving a sleek, dark grey coat underneath. Molting seals often seem distressed, and may have mucous around the nose and runny eyes. They remain on the beach for longer periods than usual and often appear uncomfortable, writhing in the sand to help remove skin. Also, the stench from the molting skin can be quite unpleasant when one is in close proximity to the animal. While these conditions might lead someone to assume they are sick or injured, it is part of a normal annual cycle.