Monk seals got their name from being mostly solitary, like monks and having loose skin around their neck, which looks like a monk's cowl. Hawaiian monk seals inhabit the coasts of the Hawaiian Islands. While the monk seal population has increased in the MHI over the past 10 years, incidents of shark attacks on people have shown no corresponding increase. The Hawaiian Monk Seal is currently endangered in spite of the conservation efforts out there. In the days of old Hawaiʻi, it must have been fun watching these sea dogs rolling in the surf. Hawaiian monk seals are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll, which lies nearly 1,000 miles southwest of Hawaii… Hawaiian Monk Seal Facts . Fortunately, recent studies are showing a small but steady increase to our population in the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian monk seals can live for at least 30 years. Hawaiian monk seals grow up to 7 feet (2.1 m) long and 600 pounds (272 kg). Hawaiian monk seals grow up to 7 feet (2.1 m) long and 600 pounds (272 kg). 2. The Most Endangered Endemic Marine Mammal in the United States . There are less than 1,100 of them remaining and that is very scary. For more information on the Hawaiian monk seal, click here. While the monk seal population has increased in the MHI over the past 10 years, incidents of shark attacks on people have shown no corresponding increase. If you see a beached Hawaiian monk seal, contact your … It's our state mammal — but for how long? Hawaiian Monk Seal Facts . These carnivores eat fish and other sea creatures they find along the sea floor. The beaches at Turtle Bay are isolated from large human populations and are a favorite haul-out location for Oahu wildlife including the critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals. My other monk seal relatives are even bigger trouble—there are only 300-600 Mediterranean monk seals left, and the Caribbean monk seal went extinct in the 1970s. Ilio ‐ holo ‐ ikauaua (ee ‐ lee ‐ o holo ee ka ooa ‐ ooa) meaning ‘the dog that runs in rough waters’ The endemic Hawaiian monk seal has thrived for the past 13 million years, virtually unchanged, in the oceanic The Hawaiian monk seal, that charming but critically endangered pinniped, now bears the state's stamp of approval, designating its importance to Hawai'i's people: It's the official state mammal. Hawaii is boundless in natural beauty — but it is also a flourishing environment for many exotic animals, making the islands the perfect location for primates, zebras, farm animals, tropical marine life, and even tigers to thrive — in the wild, and in captivity. Hawaiian Monk seals have to deal with the warm climate of the Hawaiian Islands.The seals use the ocean temperature to keep them cold enough and use the warm weather and sand to warm up during a nice long nap.Also, the seals survive colder waters by preserving fat like polar seals.Monk seals have streamlined bodies that make them good swimmers because of their aerodynamic body shape. 1. Did You Know? Fact: All information to date indicates that more monk seals in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) has not, and will not, lead to more shark attacks on humans.