Monk Seal Monday....

Yes, we're LOCALS!!!

.

This is probably one of my favorite shots of a Hawaiian Monk Seal. This is RW20 and was taken in 2009 on the shores of Molokai. He was just a weaner then and a such a cutie!!

Here's some Monk Seal Facts

 

*endemic to the  Hawaiian Islands

making them LOCALS :)

 

*they are marine animals

 

*one of the most endangered animals in the world,

at the present time they are approximately 1200 animals

(most of those are in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands)

 

*Their Hawaiian name is 'ilio-holo I ka ua ua, which means "dog that runs in rough seas"

 

*adult seals are 6-8 feet in length and weigh 400-600 lbs.

 

*Can live to be 25-30 yrs of age

 

*solitary animal--unlike the California Seals 

 

*head looks like it has a hood like a monk (hence the name :)

 

*Hawai'i's official state mammal

 

 

Got a question about the HMS (Hawaiian Monk Seal)??

Please leave questions in the comment section and I'll address them next Monday.

 

Seal ya,

 

val

 

In case you missed the first post concerning HMS, CLICK HERE!!