The last confirmed sighting came in 1952 at the Serranilla Bank (falls between Nicaragua and Jamaica), where a small colony was known to live. Also known as the West Indian monk seal, this was the only subtropical seal native to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and is the first type of seal to go extinct from human causes. This species is related to (same genus, Monachus) the Mediterranean monk seal and Hawaiian monk seal. I am the first voice to speak. Why did the Caribbean monk seal go extinct? The Caribbean monk seal, also known as the "West Indian" monk seal, is a phocid or true seal. The Caribbean monk seal is the only marine mammal to be driven extinct by humans in tropical seas. Forest sets off on a dangerous, shark-infested search for the extinct Caribbean monk seal. Overfishing of the reefs that sustained the Caribbean monk seal population also contributed to their extinction. In 2008 the US National Marine Fisheries Service, after a thorough study and review, concluded that the species is definitely extinct. The other two species, the Mediterranean monk seal and the Hawaiian monk seal, are both listed as endangered species and are declining. Both of these species are … “Unfortunately, this led to their demise and labels the species as the only seal to go extinct from human causes.” A Caribbean monk seal — the only subtropical seal native to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico — had not been seen for more than 50 years. Hunting restricted the species' range and eliminated breeding colonies as early as the eighteenth century and the population was severely depleted at least 100 years prior to the extinction … On October 28, 2008, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) confirmed the extinction of the Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis) and removed it from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife.This makes it the first species of seal to go extinct as a direct result of human activities. ♦ The Caribbean monk seal is one of three monk seal species. Glen is the one describing foods. It was last sighted in 1952 and is considered extinct. Only about 1,200 Hawaiian seals are left and the Mediterranean monk seal is … On the Caribbean Monk seal's Extinction... Music is from the titanic. With the Caribbean species now extinct, the Hawaiian monk seal is the last surviving species of the genus Neomonachus, as the Mediterranean species is in its genus, Monachus. “Humans left the Caribbean monk seal population unsustainable after overhunting them in the wild,” said Kyle Baker, biologist for NOAA’s Fisheries Service southeast region. The Caribbean monk seals’ docile nature and lack of an instinctive fear of humans made it an easy target, and hunting only ended (in the 1850s) because the population was too low for commercial use. The only known native seal to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean monk seal was officially declared extinct as recently as 2008, though none have been seen since 1952. Caribbean Monk Seal Declared Extinct. After five years of futile efforts to find or confirm sightings of any Caribbean monk seals, the U.S. on Friday declared the species extinct, noting it is the only seal to vanish due to human causes. It has been only eleven years since the Caribbean Monk Seal was declared extinct, which makes us wonder what part we played in its extinction. Science Project for my school. The Caribbean monk seal is the only pinniped species which has become extinct in modern times. by Kyle Baker. Caribbean Monk Seal Declared Extinct June 7, 2008 / 9:16 AM / AP Federal officials have confirmed what biologists have long thought: The Caribbean monk seal has gone the way of the dodo. To prove its existence, he and the crew descend into deep waters where they come face-to-face with a … The Caribbean monk seal, believed to be extinct, was a sub-tropical marine mammal found in the Caribbean. ... As for the … ... say biologists who warn that Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals could be the next to go. “Unfortunately, this led to their demise and labels the species as the only seal to go extinct from human causes,” he said. Mediterranean monk seals now number around 500 individuals, and Hawaiian monk seals …