The monk seal lives in the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea. The populations have shrunk severely in the last 50 years so that it is estimated that the present total population is less than 700 seals world wide.
The Mediterranean monk seal is a medium-sized seal about 250 to 300 kilos and a body length of 2.4 metres on average. The females are in general smaller.
The seal is a real marine predator and feeds on all kinds of fish, octopus and crabs. Seals often hunt in a group and seem to stay mainly in relatively shallow coastal waters with a depth of up to 30 meters.
Why is the Mediterranean seal Monachus Monachus in danger of becoming extinct?
