The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world.
It’s endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. There are approximately 1,400 left in the wild, and as many as 900 of them reside in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The rest of the population has taken residence in the main Hawaiian Islands, Oahu, Big Island, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and Niihau. The Hawaiian monk seal was hunted to the brink of extinction in the late 1900s, but thanks to massive conservation efforts from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR) the population has seen a slight increase in recent years.
Currently the Hawaiian monk seal suffers greatly from human pollution, entanglement in fishing gear and the ingestion of plastics, which commonly collect in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands due to drifting from the main islands. They also suffer from habitat loss due to rising oceans and eroding atolls, this forces the pinnipeds to find different places to haul out and raise their pups.
A Hawaiian monk seal usually reproduces at the age of five or six years old. They will stay on land with them for around six weeks. During this period the mother will not eat or leave her pup. She must teach the pup everything it will need to survive on its own. After six or seven weeks, the mother will leave and the pup is left to fend for itself. Pups are born at around 30-40lbs and will gain an average of around 5lbs a day. When it’s time for the mother to leave a healthy pup, it will weigh between 150-200lbs! Pups are born with black fur, but will change to a silvery colour usually by the time their mother leaves. Throughout their lives they will go through an annual shedding cycle called catastrophic molt. During this period of time, they will stay on land for around 10 days. A Hawaiian Monk seal can live for 25 to 30 years although it is very rare to find individuals who will live to this age in the wild.
"seal" - Google News
June 30, 2021 at 04:38PM
https://ift.tt/3dsfcm2
Braving the waves: A Hawaiian Monk seal pup's journey to survival - Oceanographic Magazine
"seal" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3c1qdrW
https://ift.tt/2SzWv5y
No comments:
Post a Comment