Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Paper

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The Hawaiian Monk seal is a critically endangered marine mammal that is native to the Hawaiian Islands and surrounding atolls. The range of this species has decreased in recent decades largely because of human activities, which deter this species from hauling out on beaches. Hawaiian Monk seal habitat includes both terrestrial (sandy beaches used for pupping and resting) and marine environments. With seals diving several hundred feet in order to forage for food, the issue of fisheries competing with monk seals arises with regards to conservation efforts. Certain social and life history characteristics also present a problem for these seals. During pupping, mothers often do not feed until the pups are ready to be on their own, and mothers have been known to abandon pups if their fat …show more content…
This is highly problematic not only due to the obvious risk of starvation, but also due to the unique relationship between female monk seals and their pups. Primarily, this could result in a problem for female monk seals during nursing due to the fact that they do not tend to feed during the nursing period following birth. This has been seen to result in abandonment of pups earlier than the normal nursing period if the mother has not stored enough fat to last her through it (Kenyon & Rice, 1957). This could result in a negative trend for maternal survival if they do not have the re to survive the nursing period, but it could also negatively impact juvenile survival rates. However, even if pups are successfully nursed to the juvenile stage and can readily forage for themselves, starvation is still a prominent problem for juvenile survival rates. Juveniles feed largely on small, slow moving nocturnal prey, and impacts on these species specifically appear to be impacting monk seal populations by increasing juvenile mortality (Goodman-Lowe,
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