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You are browsing between the cards of the museum of the phylum: Chordata

Card 79/142

Name

Monachus monachus

Mediterranean monk seal

Framing

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Mammalia

Subclass: Theria

Infraclass: Eutheria

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Caniformia

Family: Phocidae

Genus: Monachus

Species: monachus

Habitat

Marine, from the pelagic zone to coastal marine areas

Feeding

Carnivorous (mainly ingests cephalopods and fish)

Distribution

It was widespread in the Mediterranean, Atlantic coast (from Gibraltar to Mauritania) and Macaronesia. Currently much smaller distribution

Conservation status

Globally Endangered (EN) (IUCN, 2015), with an increasing trend in its populations (until recently it was classified as Critically Endangered, CR). Officially declared extinct in Spain (BOE nº 195 of 2018).

Additional information

Broad, rounded head. Dorsal colouring generally uniform (brown, black or grey), with light spotting on the ventral side.

Additional information

Bibliography

- Cebrián Menchero, D. (1998). La foca monje (Monachus monachus Hermann 1779) en el Mediterráneo oriental (Grecia y Croacia). Tesis Doctoral. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Disponible en biblioteca UGR.

- González. L. M. (2007). Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1799). En Atlas y Libro Rojo de los Mamíferos terrestres de España (pp. 315-320). Palomo, L. J., Gisbert, J., & Blanco, J. C. (eds). Dirección General de Biodiversidad – SECEM-SECEMU. Accesible en: https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/biodiversidad/temas/inventarios-nacionales/ieet_mami_monachus_monachus_tcm30-99831.pdf

- González, L. M., Fernández-de-Larrinoa, P., Mas-Hernández, J., M'Barek, H., Cedenilla, M. A., Moumni, A., M'Hamed, I., Jiddou, A. M., Araujo, A., Costa-Neves, H., Pires, R. (2006). El plan de acción para la recuperación de la foca monje del Mediterráneo en el Atlántico oriental. Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente. Disponible en biblioteca UGR.