Seal Time!

Drum roll please... Here are pictures of the most endangered marine mammal! Hawaiian Monk seals are the oldest living line of pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, walruses) and are constrained to warm water. There were 3 populations of monk seals, but the Caribbean seals went extinct in the early 1950's. The Mediterranean monk seals are even more rare, with only about 350 individuals left. There are estimated less than 1,000 Hawaiian monk seals - most of them living in the NW Hawaiian Islands, such as Laysan. However, the Main Islands are seeing an increase in numbers, and females recently started giving birth there, again!

Laysan has a population of about 200+ individuals, and I got to see most of them this summer! A few seals like to sleep around camp, and some just come to hang out for a day or night. Our regular guy, for the past 20+ years, is Brendan. Named after one of our ladies who used to do field work on Laysan, and now works in the Honolulu office.

Adult male getting ready for the night's slumber at sunset:


Adult male (bottom) guarding an adult female (permanent ID: TD98), hoping to get lucky:


Sand facial!


Seal party - weaners, juvenile, and sub-adult male:


Yearling (TW04) sleeping at camp:


3 year-old male zonked out:



3 year-old female helping trim the Tournefortia branches:


Seal waddling up the berm for sleepy time:


Adult male guarding a female, barking off a cruising male:


Sub-adult male:


Adult male (TC42) yawning:


Brendan (TK41) sleeping - or guarding? - Gretchen's tent: