The Caribbean Monk Seal or West Indian Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis), the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico, is now considered extinct. In the United States, the last recorded sighting of this marine mammal occurred in 1932 off the Texas coast. The very last reliable records of this species are of a small colony at Seranilla Bank, Jamaica, in 1952. ^[1] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1720x892, 144 KB) Monachus tropicalis From The Fisheries and Fisheries Industries of the United States, by George Brown Goode (1887). ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_none_EX.svg‎ Graphic diagram for the IUCN Red List categories. ... The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of modern extinction. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Subclass Allotheria* Order Docodonta (extinct) Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Subclass Prototheria Order Monotremata Subclass Theria Infraclass Trituberculata (extinct) Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of... Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora (IPA: or IPA: ; from Latin carō (stem carn-) flesh, + vorāre to devour) includes over 260 placental mammals. ... subfamilies Otariidae Phocidae Odobenidae Pinnipeds are large marine mammals belonging to the Pinnipedia, a family (sometimes a suborder or superfamily, depending on the classification scheme) of the order Carnivora. ... Genera Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Gray Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. ... Monk seals Categories: Animal stubs ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... John Edward Gray. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) Year 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean Caribbean Sea from space (top left). ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... A Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), a member of Order Cetacea A Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), a member of infrafamily Pinnipedia A West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus), a member of Order Sirenia A marine mammal is a mammal that is primarily ocean-dwelling or depends on the ocean for its food. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Caribbean Monk Seal was a relatively small seal (6-9 feet) with rolls of fat around its neck and brown pelage that faded to a yellow-white color on the stomach. The soles and palms were naked, with the nails on the anterior digits well developed. The males reached a length of about 2.25 meters and weighed up to 200 kilograms. Displaying sexual dimorphism, the females of this species were generally smaller than males. In mammals, pelage is the hair, fur, or wool that covers the animal. ... In anatomy, the stomach is a bean-shaped hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication. ... In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ... Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in both color and size between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ...

These pinnipeds lived in marine environment, spending much of their time in the water and occupying rocky and sandy coastlines for shelter and breeding. Their diet included eels, lobsters, octopus, and other reef fish. subfamilies Otariidae Phocidae Odobenidae Pinnipeds are large marine mammals belonging to the Pinnipedia, a family (sometimes a suborder or superfamily, depending on the classification scheme) of the order Carnivora. ... Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ... For other uses, see Eel (disambiguation). ... Clawed lobsters comprise a family (Nephropidae) of large marine crustaceans. ... Suborders †Pohlsepia (incertae sedis) †Proteroctopus (incertae sedis) †Palaeoctopus (incertae sedis) Cirrina Incirrina Synonyms Octopoida Leach, 1817 The octopus (Greek , eight-legs) is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda that inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. ...

Like other true seals, the Caribbean Monk Seal was sluggish on land. Its lack of fear for man and an unaggressive and curious nature also contributed to its demise. Genera Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Gray Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. ...

A collection of Caribbean Monk Seal bones can be found at the Tropical Crane Point Hammock Museum in Key Vaca. Key Vaca is located in Monroe County, Florida. ...

Reproduction and longevity

Very little is known about the reproduction behavior and longevity of this animal. Live pups were likely born in early December because several females killed in the Yucatan during this time of the year had well-developed fetuses. It is believed that this animal's average lifespan was approximately 20 years. The Yucatán Peninsula separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. ... Fetus at eight weeks A fetus (alternatively foetus or fœtus) is an embryo in later stages of development, from the third month of pregnancy until birth in humans. ...

History

During his 1493 voyage, Christopher Columbus described the Caribbean Monk Seal as a "sea-wolf." The region was soon colonized, and whatever habitat this species had was lost. People also began exploiting it commercially for its oil, and less frequently, for its meat. 1493 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ...

Unconfirmed sightings

Unconfirmed sightings of Caribbean Monk Seals by local fishermen and divers are relatively common in Haiti and Jamaica, but two recent scientific expeditions failed to find any sign of this animal. It is possible that the mammal still exists, but some biologists strongly believe that the sightings are of wandering Hooded Seals, which have been positively identified on islands such as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

References

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

See also

• Hawaiian Monk Seal
• Mediterranean Monk Seal
• List of extinct animals

Binomial name Monachus schauinslandi Matschie, 1905 The Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi) in the Family Phocidae, is an endangered marine mammal that is endemic to the warm, clear waters of the Hawaiian Islands. ... Binomial name Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779) Mediterranean Monk Seal range The Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) is believed to be the worlds rarest pinniped and one of the most endangered mammals of the world. ... // Prepleistocene extinctions A large number of historical orders are extinct, for example dinosaurs, pterosaurs and ammonites. ...

External links

• Fact files: Caribbean Monk Seal, Monachus tropicalis
• The Extinction Website - Species Info - Monachus tropicalis