The other current species is the Mediterranean monk seal, while the Caribbean monk seal … A third species used to inhabit the Caribbean, but was The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the rarest marine mammals in the world. A third species, the … Description The Hawaiian name for the monk seal is "ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua," which means “dog running in the rough water.” They may look slightly doglike because they are somewhat closely related to canines. Monachus schauinslandi is the Hawaiian Monk Seal Latin name The Hawaiian name is “Ilio holo I ka uaua”, which translates to “dog that runs in rough water”. The Hawaiian monk seal, as the name suggests, lives solely in the Hawaiian archipelago. The head and the flippers are a darker gray or brownish in color. Monk seals migrated to Hawaii between 4–11 Mya through an open-water passage between North and South America called the Central American Seaway. The Hawaiian name for the monk seal is Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, meaning dog running in the rough seas. They are also surrounded with teeming coral reefs, which serve as great foraging [2] The Hawaiian monk seal is one of two remaining monk seal species; the other is the Mediterranean monk seal. The monk seal is a “true seal” and differs from seal lions (eared seals) in several significant ways: True seals lack the external ear flaps seen in the sea lions. Hawaiian Monk Seals ~ Hawaiian Marine Life:: MarineBio Video Library. Known to the native Hawaiians as ʻIlio holo i ka uaua (dog that runs in … The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world, and the rarest seal or sea lion in US waters. The Hawaiian monk seal is one of two mammals endemic to the Hawaiian islands: the other is the Hawaiian hoary bat, which is sadly also endangered.They may be the oldest of all true seals, as they have been present in Hawaii for millions of years. Literally it means, “the dog that runs in the rough (seas).” These seals get their common name “monk seals” because of their bald appearance, solitary habits and a fold of skin behind their heads which resembles a monk’s hood. Hawaiian Monk Seal – Monachus schauinslandi Description. One lives in the remote areas of the Mediterranean Sea, and the other lives in the Leeward chain of the Hawaiian Islands. As you might guess from their name, Hawaiian monk seals live in Hawaii and no place else in the world. The official state mammal of Hawaii, the scientific name for the Hawaiian monk seal is Neomonachus schauinslandi. Pups are … Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, less than 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals remain. Hawaiian monk seals live in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Almost all of these seals are hidden away in the state’s quiet Northwestern Islands, though a small number also live around the busier main islands. They have a very light gray coloring to their bodies. The Hawaiian monk seal is a pinniped, a member of the group of marine mammals that includes the seals, sea lions, fur seals, and walruses. Like all seals, the Hawaiian monk seal feeds in the ocean but mates, gives birth to its pups, and rests on land. Hawaiian Monk Seals are endangered and there are only approximately 1,200 individuals left. The Isthmus of Panama closed the seaway 3 Mya. Most seals live in icy waters, but the Hawaiian monk seal makes its home in the warm Pacific Ocean around Hawaii. The Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi, formerly Monachus schauinslandi), is an endangered species of earless seal in the family Phocidae that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian name ‘ilioholoikauaua means “dog that runs in rough seas.” > Coordinated the Maui Monk Seal Watch, 1996-2007 > Provides expertise on the Monk Seal Recovery Team. Only 2 species of monk seals survive in the world today. The Hawaiian monk seal is one of only two current monk seal species. The Hawaiian Monk Seal is a critically endangered species. The two genera of monk seals, Monachus and Neomonachus, comprise three species: the Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus; the Hawaiian monk seal, Neomonachus schauinslandi; and the Caribbean monk seal, …