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Monachus tropicalis (Caribbean monk seal)

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Monachus tropicalis (Caribbean monk seal)

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Caribbean monk seals lived in warm areas. They lived in tropical land and tropical waters. They mostly would bathe under the sun and the sandy beach.

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- They were not very aggressive or harmful.
- They can weigh from 250 to 300 kilograms
- They were primarily water based animals.
- The land they would spend time on was mostly made for shelter and birthing.

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When Caribbean monk seals would hunt out in the wild, they would hunt food around the reef such as eels, lobsters, octopus, and other fish that would swim around there. When they were held in captivity due to endagerment, they were fed small cut up pieces of fish and crab.

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Caribbean monk seals often would breed at sea. Pregnant females would give birth on shore. Most of the time there was only one pup in the litter. March and April is usually when pups are birthed. They are then nursed for 5 to 6 weeks.

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Caribbean monk seal in Endangered Species Program

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Caribbean monk seals were discovered in 1494 and were officially extinct in 2008 on October 28. The Caribbean monk seal was the first species of seal to go extinct.

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In 1494, when the seals were discovered by European colonizers, 8 of them were killed for meat. Then in the 1700s to 1900s they were killed for their blubber and a small amount of them were killed for meat. They were also an oil source.

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Caribbean monks seals are related to Hawaiian monk seals that are still alive today but endangered. If The Carribbean monk seal had it's advantaged traits, such as:
- streamlined bodies
- flipper like appendages for gliding
- thick blubber layer for heat and ability to float
it would have an advantage of living a few more years or to this day.