The Caribbean monk seal (Neomonachus tropicalis), also called the West Indian seal or sea wolf, was a type of seal that lived in the Caribbean Sea and is now extinct. Its natural enemies included American crocodiles, large sharks like great white sharks and tiger sharks, and possibly killer whales, though killer whales are rarely seen in the Caribbean. However, humans were the most dangerous threat to the seals. People hunted the seals for their oil and meat, and fishing for the fish that the seals ate also contributed to their extinction.
The last known sighting of a Caribbean monk seal was in 1952 near Serranilla Bank, which is located west of Jamaica and off the eastern coast of Nicaragua. In 2008, the United States officially declared the species extinct after a five-year search. This search was led by the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Caribbean monk seal is closely related to the Hawaiian monk seal, which is a vulnerable species found near the Hawaiian Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, and the Mediterranean monk seal, another vulnerable species that lives mainly in the waters near Greece.
Description
Caribbean monk seals had a large, long, and strong body. They could grow up to about 2.4 meters (8 feet) long and weighed between 170 and 270 kilograms (375 to 600 pounds). Male seals were likely slightly larger than females, similar to Mediterranean monk seals. Like other monk seals, this species had a unique head and face. Their head was rounded, and their muzzle was long and wide. Their face had large, widely spaced eyes, nostrils that opened upward, and big whisker pads with long, smooth, light-colored whiskers. Compared to their body, their front flippers were short and had small claws, while their back flippers were thin. Their fur was brown or gray, with the underside lighter than the back. Adults were darker than younger seals, which were paler and more yellowish. Algae often grew on their fur, giving them a slightly greenish look. This is similar to Hawaiian monk seals.
Behavior and ecology
Historical records indicate that this species may have rested in large groups on land, usually 20–40 animals, but sometimes up to 100 individuals, across its entire range. These groups may have been organized based on age and life stage. Their diet likely included fish and crustaceans.
Like other true seals, the Caribbean monk seal moved slowly on land. Its lack of fear of humans and its calm, curious nature made it vulnerable to hunters.
The Caribbean monk seal had a long pupping season, which is common for pinnipeds living in subtropical and tropical areas. In Mexico, the breeding season reached its peak in early December. Similar to other monk seals, this species had four retractable nipples for feeding its young. Newborn pups were likely about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) long and weighed 16 to 18 kilograms (35 to 40 lb). They were reported to have a smooth, black lanugo coat at birth. Scientists believe the average lifespan of this animal was about twenty years.
The Caribbean monk seal nasal mite (Halarachne americana) lived exclusively inside the nasal cavity of the seal and became extinct when the seal disappeared.
Habitat
Caribbean monk seals lived in warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the western Atlantic Ocean. They likely rested on sandy beaches above high tide on remote islands and atolls, but sometimes traveled to mainland coasts and deeper ocean areas. This species probably ate fish in shallow lagoons and near coral reefs.
Relationship with humans
The first known record of the Caribbean monk seal comes from the second voyage of Christopher Columbus. In August 1494, a ship stopped near the mostly empty island of Alta Velo, south of Hispaniola. The men on the ship killed eight seals that were resting on the beach. The next known event involving Caribbean monk seals was when Juan Ponce de León discovered the Dry Tortugas Islands in 1513. On June 21, 1513, Ponce de León sent a group of men ashore, and they killed fourteen seals. During the colonial period, there are more records of seals being found and hunted at places like Guadeloupe, the Alacrane Islands, the Bahamas, Pedro Cays, and Cuba. As early as 1688, sugar plantation owners sent hunting groups to kill hundreds of seals each night to get oil for their machines. A 1707 report describes fishermen killing hundreds of seals for oil to light their lamps. By 1850, so many seals had been killed that there were not enough left to hunt for profit.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, scientists studied the Caribbean monk seal. In December 1886, a scientific team led by H. A. Ward and Professor F. Ferrari Perez, part of the Mexican Geographical and Exploring Survey, visited a small reef and cay called the Triangles (20.95° N 92.23° W) to search for monk seals. During their four-day trip, the team killed forty-two seals and sent the specimens to museums in the Western world. Two of these seals are still preserved in the British Museum of Natural History and the Cambridge Zoological Museum. The team also captured a newborn seal pup, which died a week later in captivity.
The first Caribbean monk seal to live in captivity for a long time was a female that lived at the New York Aquarium. She was captured in 1897 and died in 1903, spending five and a half years in captivity. In 1909, the New York Aquarium received four Caribbean monk seals: three young seals (one to two years old) and one older male.
By the first half of the 20th century, sightings of Caribbean monk seals became very rare. In 1908, a small group of seals was seen at the once-busy Tortugas Islands. In 1915, six seals were captured and sent to Pensacola, Florida, where they were later released. A seal was killed near Key West, Florida, in March 1922. In 1926 and 1932, seals were seen along the Texas coast. The last seal known to be killed by humans was on the Pedro Cays in 1939. In November 1949, two seals were spotted on Drunken Mans Cay, near Kingston, Jamaica. In 1952, the Caribbean monk seal was last seen at Serranilla Bank.
The extinction of the Caribbean monk seal was caused by two main reasons. First, people hunted the seals heavily in the 1700s and 1800s to get oil from their fat. The high demand for seal products in the Caribbean encouraged hunters to kill hundreds of seals. The seals’ calm behavior and lack of fear of humans made them easy targets. Second, overfishing destroyed the reefs that provided food for the seals. Without enough fish or shellfish to eat, seals that survived hunting eventually starved. Few efforts were made to protect the species. By the time the seal was listed as endangered in 1967, it was likely already gone.
Unconfirmed reports of Caribbean monk seals by local fishermen and divers are common in Haiti and Jamaica. However, two recent scientific studies found no evidence of the species. Some scientists think these sightings may be of wandering hooded seals, which have been seen in places like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.