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A Hawaiian Monk Seal pup, a close relative of the Caribbean Monk Seal, lazes in the sun at the beach fronting Kiahuna Plantation Resort, in this Sept. 1, 2005 file photo.
Overhunting Was Demise of Caribbean Monk Seal
The species, which has not been seen for over 50 years, is the first seal to go extinct due to human interaction.
30-Second Summary
Caribbean Monk Seals, which grew to be up to eight feet long in adulthood and lived in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the west Atlantic Ocean, were easy targets for hunters while resting, birthing or nursing their pups on the beach, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agency has now deemed the species extinct.
“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. “Unfortunately, this lead to their demise and labels the species as the only seal to go extinct from human causes.”
The last confirmed sighting of a Caribbean Monk Seal was in 1952 in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and the Yucatán Peninsula.
The seal was listed as endangered on March 11, 1967, under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, and relisted on April 10, 1979. Since then there have been efforts to investigate reported sightings of the species, but none have been confirmed.
Proving a species extinct can be a challenge, according to Slate. Today, the World Conservation Union will label a species extinct only if “there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.”
But the label now applies to the Caribbean Monk Seal without a doubt. The NOAA is seeking to remove the seals from the Endangered Species List. Species are removed when their populations are no longer threatened or endangered, or when they are declared extinct.
“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. “Unfortunately, this lead to their demise and labels the species as the only seal to go extinct from human causes.”
The last confirmed sighting of a Caribbean Monk Seal was in 1952 in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and the Yucatán Peninsula.
The seal was listed as endangered on March 11, 1967, under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, and relisted on April 10, 1979. Since then there have been efforts to investigate reported sightings of the species, but none have been confirmed.
Proving a species extinct can be a challenge, according to Slate. Today, the World Conservation Union will label a species extinct only if “there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.”
But the label now applies to the Caribbean Monk Seal without a doubt. The NOAA is seeking to remove the seals from the Endangered Species List. Species are removed when their populations are no longer threatened or endangered, or when they are declared extinct.
Headline Link: Caribbean Monk Seal officially extinct
The Caribbean Monk Seal’s closest relatives, the Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals are endangered and at risk of extinction, as well, with populations dipping below 1,200 and 500 individuals, respectively.
Source: Science Daily
Background: How are extinct species determined?
Slate explains the criteria used to determine when an animal is deemed extinct. While a previous rule stated an animal could be declared extinct only if it hadn’t been seen for 50 years, “scientists must now show that repeated efforts to survey a species’ known habitat failed to turn up any individual sightings or evidence of its continued survival.”
Source: Slate
Related Topic: The Yangtze River Dolphin goes extinct, biodiversity decreasing
The Yangtze River Dolphin was declared officially extinct in August 2007, making it the first large vertebrate forced to extinction by human activity in 50 years. The extinction was caused not by “active persecution but accidentally and carelessly through a combination of factors including unsustainable fishing and mass shipping,” The Guardian reported.
Source: The Guardian
Conservation groups recently said that more than one-quarter of the world’s wildlife has been lost since 1970, a rate “unprecedented since the extinction of the dinosaurs.”
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the NOAA
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service provides information about endangered and extinct species on its Web site.
Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The NOAA provides information about the Caribbean Monk Seal, including a species description, threats that affected the seals and conservation efforts on its Web site.
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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