It's unfortunate that an animal which was recorded to be numerous with population before exploitation estimated at 233,000-338,000 is being featured on this weeks episode on The Extinct. How did this come to be?, sad to say, it's a story of how inhuman humans can be.
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WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE
The Caribbean monk seal was seen to have a robust body, large and quite long. They measure close to 2.4m in length, weight, they weigh about 170-270 kilograms, and that's about 375-600 lb.
A Caribbean monk seal male, when compared to the female, was slightly larger, just like all monk seals, they possess a distinctive face and forehead, their head was round in shape and their face with a wide-spaced eye. Their foreflipper were seen to be short with a little claw and also, their hind flippers slander.
In colour, the Caribbean monk seal was grayish and brownish with the dorsal area thicker than the underside. The young caribbian monk seal are paler and yellowish while the adults are seen to be darker in colour.
Another feature known to the Caribbean monk seal was the growing algae in their pelage which tend to give them a greenish appearance, that which is of a similar nature with that of the Hawaiian monk seals.
WHERE YOU WOULD FIND THEM
They were known to be a warm temperature animal hence mostly found in the Caribbean waters( tropical and subtropical parts) , Western of the Atlantic ocean and Mexico.
They naturally prefer to haul out at some sites mostly beaches with low sand, isolated areas like islands but they would pay a visit to the mainland coast on an occasional base. The Caribbean monk seal might have fed in reefs and shallow lagoons
BEHAVIOR
History records them to be a kind of specie to haul out at certain sites which include resting areas. They haul out in their numbers ranging from 20 to 40 sometimes up to 100 in its range. Their haul out is based on social groups which May be organized with respect to life stage difference and age.
A Caribbean monk seal was known to be a sluggish animal on land with its lack of fear mostly of humans; its nature is an unaggressive one which was a huge contribution to its extinction.
WHAT THEY EAT
A Caribbean monk seal was known to feed on octopus, eels, lobsters and reef fishes. When kept in captive they were fed fishes cut into small pieces and crabs of small nature.
BREEDING AND LIFESPAN
They were known to have pupping seasons which was quite long typical to that of the pinnipeds which can be found in the tropical and subtropical habitats.
Their breeding seasons were seen to have its peak level in early December. This species is known with retractable nipples which are four in number. A newborn Caribbean monk seal pup had size about 1 meter in length with weight 16-18 kg with reports of having a sleek Lanugo coat which with a black coloration.
Their lifespan of a Caribbean monk seal on average was known to be twenty years approximately.
HOW THEY WENT EXTINCT
This was a numerous species, its quit unfortunate we have seen the end of them
First discovered by Christopher Columbus, the Caribbean monk seal was called the sea wolf by him this followed killing and eating 8 of this monk seal which opened the door to hunting and killing of this animal for food. In the late 1600s, more than a hundred of this monk seals were killed mainly for its blubber which was converted to oil for lubricating machineries on sugar plantations. These animals were also taken for public displays and killed for both museum specimen and some other reasons.
In the late 1880s, the species of the Caribbean monk seal was seen west of Yucatan though the Triangle Keys was a stronghold to this species until about 200 of this animal was killed there in 1915. The Caribbean monk seal was sighted last at Serranilla Bank, and that's between Nicaragua and Jamaica.
Final extinction of this animal was triggered by hunting for food. The Carribbean monk seal was known for its docile nature and they also lack flight instinct which made them more vulnerable to hunting by humans. Another factor which led to their demise was overfishing of reefs which where the sustenance of the Caribbean monk seals hence those which were not hunted and killed died of starvation and also failed to reproduce due to lack of food.
Nothing was done to save this animal from demise, as at when it was placed on the list of endangered species in 1967; they are already likely to have gone on extinction.
WE COULDN'T SAVE THEM, CAN WE GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME?
There are today two remaining species which is today considered endangered they are the Hawaiian monk seals and Mediterranean monk seal, and these seals need us to survive
State of The Hawaiian monk seal
Hawaiian monk seal
Today the Hawaiian monk seal is considered an endangered species; there was seen a massive decline in population with those inhabiting the northwest island while those inhabiting the Hawaiian island which is more less in the population are seen to be increasing.
Back in 2010, an estimate of 1100 of this individual was remaining, and a later estimate at 2016 saw approximately 1400 individuals of this species. There was once a time when they nearly disappear from the Hawaiian island, but today the population is seen to be in a recovery state.
They were cited in brakes and beaches like in Ni'ihau, Maui, and Kauai'i. They were officially considered endangered on November 23, 1976. Hence The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects them but though the protection, The now received human activities across Hawaii, and the whole world at large still provide stress to their survival.
The Mediterranean Monk Seal
This monk seal is not just another species of the aquatic life; it's known to be the past present and future of the Mediterranean seas. They were once known to be almost half of the total population of the monk seal in Greece.
The Mediterranean Monk Seal
Though they spend most of their lives in the sea, they do make use of the land and also sea caves where they rest, breed and take care of their young ones. Today, the Mediterranean monk seal is considered among the most endangered species on earth. The Mediterranean Monk Seal face a high risk of extinction thus classified as a critically endangered animal.
The main threat to this seal is the reduction in its recourse mainly food, intentional killing by humans and also accidental entrapment when fishing. Since they rest in shores and take care of their young ones there, just like so many other coastal species of animal, they also suffer from the degradation of the ecosystem due to human activities.
Another important threat to this seal is the rise in sea level due to climate change which tends to lead to the loss of sea caves where they rest. Also, water pollution as a result of oil, military drills, disturbance and others are a big threat to some common marine animals.
WE ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY
A lot is being done to keep the remaining species of monk seal out of extinction. There has been a success over the years concerning this course, but a lot still has to be done to achieve this, and that is our duty to nature.
A lot has been outlined in this article concerning threat to the seals; this threat can be reduced to an extent when we do all we can to conserve life at sea which includes reduction in pollution of the water, extensive fishingand so on. Organizations based on the helping these animals need free donations from individuals around the world concerned with the plight of animals, hence we can contribute to keeping of this animal. Furthermore, we can also contribute in dissipating the information about the near extinction of these hence educate the young generations on how to go about life to ensure continued conservation of these wonders of the world.
My Stand
The seal is one of the many wonderful animals nature gave to us, I find seals fascinating and beautiful animals. They are quite a sight; it's unfortunate that The Caribbean Monk Seal was hunted to extinction leaving us with only two of this species, now, we should try as much as possible to keep them from extinction in any way we can.
I weeped in me after watching this clip of their extinction, bloody humans.
There exist so many wildlife at sea, we should treat the aquatic world better, water pollution and other hazards which affect both land and sea should be controlled thereby ensuring a safe habitat for these sea animals.
Found this episode of The Extinct interesting? see previous episodes
The Extinct #2 - Passenger Pigeon
The Extinct #1-The West African Black Rhinoceros
REFRENCE
The Caribbean monk seal extinction