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The Hawai'ian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is considered the most endangered seal in U.S. waters, with are only about 1,200 left. As strong swimmers they can stay at sea for as long as a month, are able to dive 600 feet and can hold their breath for 20 minutes. They eat fish, octopus, eels and lobsters.
The adults have gray or brown fur, and babies are black. They grow up to seven feet long and weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. They can live as long as 30 years. * * North Shore Blog and More         
Cove on the North Shore of Oahu where the Hawai'ian Monk Seal choose to give birth to her sweet little female pup.
Notice the orange plastic fence in the distance. Put up by NOAA volunteers, they fenced off the area so mama and pup wouldn't be disturbed. Volunteers as well as Turtle Bay Resort Grounds-Guards watched over Momma and baby for 6 weeks. On June 1, Hawai'ian monk seal R5AY gave birth to a seal pup at a North Shore location, the first seal born on Oahu in a public area since 1998. The two were basking in the sun yesterday. Officials try to insulate a rare nursing scene By Nelson Daranciang ndaranciang@starbulletin.com A Hawai'ian monk seal who gave birth to a pup on Kauai last year is now mother to the first pup born on Oahu in eight years. R5AY, an adult female Hawai'ian monk seal that frequents Hauula, gave birth on a remote North Shore beach, probably on June 1, said David Schofield, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries marine mammal response coordinator. NOAA officials placed a barrier around the nursing pair to prevent people from getting within 150 feet. Volunteers monitor their behavior and educate whoever passes by about the monk seal's endangered status and efforts to protect it. Oahu Hawai'ian Monk Seal Response Team volunteer, Karen Rohter, a fifth- and sixth-grade math and science teacher at St. Andrew's Priory. She has committed to a shift every Friday from 8 a.m. to noon until the pup weans and the mother leaves. Rohter plans to share her experience with her students. The mother and pup spend most of the day sleeping on the beach. They nurse three times a day. Rohter said one of the pup's endearing behaviors is that it mimics everything its mothers does. When the mother rolls over on its back, so does the pup. But when they go into the water for a swim, the pup sometimes wanders off. When that happens, the mother brings the pup in line. "She kind of herds the pup if the pup gets into deep water over by the rocks". When R5AY was first spotted on Kauai in 2002, she was already an adult. She gave birth at about this time last year on Kauai, said Erin Moreland, NOAA Fisheries Main Hawai'ian Islands Monk Seal Sighting coordinator. Moreland said that pup survived and has been spotted on Kauai. The last Hawai'ian monk seal birth on Oahu was a set of twins in Ko Olina in 1998. They died during birth. Single pups were born to three different mothers on Manana Island, also known as Rabbit Island, in 2003, 2004 and 2005. All pups have survived. The Hawai'ian monk seal population is estimated at about 1,200. 
Cove on the North Shore of Oahu where the Hawai'ian Monk Seal choose to give birth to her sweet little female pup.
Notice the orange plastic fence in the distance. Put up by NOAA volunteers, they fenced off the area so mama and pup wouldn't be disturbed. Volunteers as well as Turtle Bay Resort Grounds-Guards watched over Momma and baby for 6 weeks. On June 1, Hawai'ian monk seal R5AY gave birth to a seal pup at a North Shore location, the first seal born on Oahu in a public area since 1998. The two were basking in the sun yesterday. Officials try to insulate a rare nursing scene By Nelson Daranciang ndaranciang@starbulletin.com A Hawai'ian monk seal who gave birth to a pup on Kauai last year is now mother to the first pup born on Oahu in eight years. R5AY, an adult female Hawai'ian monk seal that frequents Hauula, gave birth on a remote North Shore beach, probably on June 1, said David Schofield, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries marine mammal response coordinator. NOAA officials placed a barrier around the nursing pair to prevent people from getting within 150 feet. Volunteers monitor their behavior and educate whoever passes by about the monk seal's endangered status and efforts to protect it. Oahu Hawai'ian Monk Seal Response Team volunteer, Karen Rohter, a fifth- and sixth-grade math and science teacher at St. Andrew's Priory. She has committed to a shift every Friday from 8 a.m. to noon until the pup weans and the mother leaves. Rohter plans to share her experience with her students. The mother and pup spend most of the day sleeping on the beach. They nurse three times a day. Rohter said one of the pup's endearing behaviors is that it mimics everything its mothers does. When the mother rolls over on its back, so does the pup. But when they go into the water for a swim, the pup sometimes wanders off. When that happens, the mother brings the pup in line. "She kind of herds the pup if the pup gets into deep water over by the rocks". When R5AY was first spotted on Kauai in 2002, she was already an adult. She gave birth at about this time last year on Kauai, said Erin Moreland, NOAA Fisheries Main Hawai'ian Islands Monk Seal Sighting coordinator. Moreland said that pup survived and has been spotted on Kauai. The last Hawai'ian monk seal birth on Oahu was a set of twins in Ko Olina in 1998. They died during birth. Single pups were born to three different mothers on Manana Island, also known as Rabbit Island, in 2003, 2004 and 2005. All pups have survived. The Hawai'ian monk seal population is estimated at about 1,200. |
