Seals in Hot Waters?
Let’s face it, thinking about seals would remind you of snowy glaciers and the Antarctica frosty slopes. Here’s a new situation for you, the warm and welcoming sea, hosting a fleet of beautiful species of seals. We are talking about the Hawaiian Monk Seal, a tropical beauty that lives and thrives in the far Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Incredible Marine Life in Hawaii
The species of seals are living below the natural surrounding of gorgeous coral reefs and ridges. The Northwestern Islands are far and scattered across the sea as smaller islands. The islands draw only a few visitors and explorers, thus making the land a fitting ground for the seal to come to for breeding. The sea is suitable for the species of seals to dive and feed on varieties of fishes and octopuses.
Hawaiian Monk Seal – Learning About the Amazing Sea Creatures
A Hawaiian monk seal has distinct physical features. Its body is a blend of grey coat that turns white around the belly. Unlike the more massive seals, the monk seal has a slender frame that makes them efficient swimmers and hunters. The seals feed on small fishes, lobsters, and squids that rest at the deep end of water corals. The seals feeding follows long spells of sleeping where the creature goes on the island and scatter on the sunny and sandy beaches.
The family of Hawaiian monk seals links with another seal group, the Phocidae. Both the family of seals have no external ears, nor they are incapable of rotating the hind flippers they have below the body. They have a short, even head with big black eyes. The seals have eight sets of teeth and low snouts with the nostril on the tip of the nose and vibrissae on both sides. The muzzles are little vertical holes which seal when the seal dives undersea, and the Hawaiian seals are agile swimmers and quick hunters.
The Living Behavior of the Seals
You will only find the majority of monk seals around the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. Only a few of these seals are around the main Islands in Hawaii. The days of the seals are mostly under the sea, at a depth of over 300 meters and more. The seals spend their time swimming around the reefs and feeding. The time they are not under the sea, they head to the sands on the island and rest and breed. The sans, volcanic rocks and sunny beaches are their lands for breeding and growing the family. The distance between the Hawaiian Islands of the monk seals and other islands are vast, and the seals can’t swim cover the massive range. That is one of the main reasons why the monk seals limit themselves to the Hawaiian Islands.
Why are they Called the Monks Seal?
You may have been wondering by now why the seals have an unusual name. Why are they call monks? Well, the seal skin folds in a particular design that shapes the body to resemble a monk’s cowl. Apart from the physical resemblance, the seals also exhibit certain behaviors of resting in isolation or moving alone in solitude like monks. It is rare to find the monk seals moving in large groups, and often the scuba divers see the seals interacting with only one or two seals.
The Different Types of Warm Water Seals
Like the monk seals in Hawaii, you will find other species of warm water seals spreading all over the world. The Caribbean monk seals were on the Caribbean seas for many years, however by the 1970s they disappeared. Explorer and researchers believe in the species extinction of the Caribbean monk seals.
Apart from the extinct species, the Mediterranean monk seals still exist in small numbers. It is a dangerous situation for the Mediterranean population of the monk seals as over the year, the community is continuously declining. Today there are no more than 600 monk seals surrounding the Mediterranean.
The largest population of Monk seals are again at the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. You can expect to find a large group of these species of over 1,400 Hawaiian monk seals survive in and around the Islands.
The Threats to the Monk seals
The seals are a community of peace-loving creatures. They are living a life, feeding on the natural resources and breeding in a perfect ecosystem nature has for the species. Unfortunately, the same natural environment poses many threats to the species that come from other living creatures.
Intervention By People
Human tops the lists as people are disrupting the life of these seals by occupying their natural habitats for unnecessary leisure activities, and illegal hunting. Even the boats and fishing lines pay less heed to the protection of these species. Boats often kill a seal monk in accidents that they can otherwise avoid with few precautionary measures. There have also been instances where people do not report such incidents where they inadvertently run over the seal with their yachts.
Threat from Other Species
The monk seals are smaller in size and fall prey to the tiger sharks. It is also common to have them fight amongst themselves. The monk seals fights are a “mobbing” occurrence where these monks attack each other. In such instances, the male monk seal may kill female seals in a group assault.
The Future of the Hawaiian Monk Seals
Hawaiians refer to the monk seal as `Ilio holo I ka uaua, or, “dog that runs in rough water.” It’s a nurturing species where the mother seals spend six weeks with its baby to nourish the baby monk seal without having to eat anything herself.
Unfortunately, the breed is going towards extinction, and in the past three decades, the population of the monk seals shows a decline of over ten percent. There are efforts in place to ensure people do not crowd the islands where the species breed. Regulatory provisions are in place to deem all monk seal hunting illegal. However, there is still a threat of such occurrences, and it requires constant efforts to preserve and save seafaring life.
How to See the Monk Seals?
Hawaiian monk seal
It is possible to spot these marvelous sea creatures when scuba divers go under the Oahu sea. The excitement of truly viewing these rare creatures will delight anyone. One may also find these mammals in the sea caves. By nature, the monk seals will keep its self away from humans, so it is advisable not to corner the species, and view them from a distance. Especially if you go inside a cave, you should leave an opening for the seal to leave the hollow. You do not want to scare the species and hurting it or panic yourself. Keep a safe distance, and you can safely enjoy the beautiful marine life.