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Post by another specialist on Jul 23, 2005 6:34:23 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Jul 23, 2005 6:37:38 GMT
Survival of the Caribbean monk seal The Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis) (figure 1) is believed to habe become extinct about 50 years ago, as no confirmed sighting occured since 1952. perso.wanadoo.fr/cryptozoo/actualit/1999/monachus.gif Figure 1 : Caribbean monk seal (drawing from Balouet 1989). Yet, I. L. Boyd et M. P. Stanfield, have just published in Oryx, the journal of the Preservation Fauna Society, the results of their survey in Haiti and Jamaica in 1997, which supports the present survival of this pinniped. They had interviews with 93 fishermen, who were shown pictures of marine species : 21 (22.6 %) selected monk seals, a number significantly (p < 0.001) greater than the number who selected control species (walrus, harbour seal, and sea-lion) that they were unlikely to have observed. However, it was not significantly different (p < 0.1) from the number (19) who selected manatees, which are known although rare in the region. 16 observers (about 3/4) had seen at least one monk seal in the past 1-2 years, and they provided further details about size and colour consistent with that of the monk seal. More details on the French page. References : BALOUET, Jean-Christophe 1989 Le grand livre des espèces disparues. Rennes, Editions Ouest-France : 56. BOYD, I. L., and M. P. STANFIELD 1998 Circumstantial evidence for the presence of monk seals in the West Indies. Oryx, 32 [n° 4] : 310-316. perso.wanadoo.fr/cryptozoo/actualit/1999/phoque_moine_eng.htm |
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Post by another specialist on Aug 5, 2005 7:58:46 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Nov 7, 2005 6:59:51 GMT
 gap in nature |
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Post by nibiru on Jan 20, 2006 0:30:30 GMT
Thats a Rasta Seal!
Just kiddin... Its a real shame the caribean has lost this species. Not many people from the caribean or the world know of the diversity of life the caribean ecosystem once supported. Not just large animals like munk seals, sea turtle's, crocodiles, alligators, manatee, and people(arawak/taino). But many small speceis of animal lizards, birds, and plants as well. The fish populations are extremely reduced in number and size(physically) some fish speceis are no longer seen or caught(possibly due to coral loss and over fishing). Which brings me too my point that if they have nothing to eat. And are never seen beached some where for breading purposes( assumming that they do it like other seals). It is very likely the caribean monk seal is no more.
to add a touch of optomism, perhaps on some isolated island to far out of the way for the average fisherman there lies a small and happy population of these guys hidding out. Stuffing themselves on untouched stocks of fish, mullusks, and conc's.
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Post by another specialist on Jan 21, 2006 5:59:24 GMT
Thanks nibiru for your thoughts and opinions. You never now anything is possible it may be one day refound.
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Post by sebbe67 on Jan 22, 2006 15:28:23 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Jan 23, 2006 12:02:39 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Jan 23, 2006 12:04:00 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Jan 23, 2006 12:05:14 GMT
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Post by Melanie on Apr 16, 2006 2:44:51 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Apr 16, 2006 9:08:54 GMT
another great file thanks
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Post by Peter on Apr 24, 2006 11:38:20 GMT
The Caribbean Monk Seal or West Indian Monk Seal ( Monachus tropicalis), the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico, is now considered extinct. In the United States, the last recorded sighting of this marine mammal occurred in 1932 off the Texas coast. The Caribbean Monk Seal was a relatively small seal (6-9 feet) with rolls of fat around its neck and brown pelage that faded to a yellow-white color on the stomach. The soles and palms were naked, with the nails on the anterior digits well developed. The males reached a length of about 2.25 meters and weighed up to 200 kilograms. Displaying sexual dimorphism, the females of this species were generally smaller than males. These pinnipeds lived in marine environment, spending much of their time in the water, and occupying rocky and sandy coastlines for shelter and breeding. Their diet included eels, lobsters, octopus, and other reef fish. Like other true seals, the Caribbean Monk Seal was sluggish on land. This, along with its lack of fear for man, and an unaggressive and curious behaviour, likely contributed to its demise. A collection of Caribbean Monk Seal bones can be found at the Tropical Crane Point Hammock Museum in Key Vaca. Reproduction and longevityVery little is known about the reproduction behavior and longevity of this animal. Live pups were likely born in early December because several females killed in the Yucatan during this time of the year had well-developed fetuses. It is believed that this animal's average lifespan was approximately 20 years. HistoryDuring his 1493 voyage, Christopher Columbus described the Caribbean Monk Seal as a "sea-wolf". Once this region began to be colonized soon afterward, whatever little habitat this species had left was lost. It also began to be exploited commercially for its oil, and less frequently, for its meat. Unconfirmed sightingsUnconfirmed sightings of Caribbean Monk Seals are relatively common in Haiti and Jamaica, where two scientific expeditions were undertaken recently – both failed to produce any evidence of this animal as still living. Nonetheless, local fishermen and divers regularly claim to have seen the seal, making the existence of this animal still a possibility, though some biologists believe that these sightings may surely be of wandering hooded seals, which have been positively been identified in islands such as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_Monk_Seal |
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Post by Peter on Apr 24, 2006 12:42:38 GMT
Journal of Biogeography Volume 32 Page 1267 - July 2005 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2005.01281.x Volume 32 Issue 7 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Historical biogeography and phylogeny of monachine seals (Pinnipedia: Phocidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data. C. A. Fyler1*, T. W. Reeder1, A. Berta1, G. Antonelis2, A. Aguilar3 and E. Androukaki4 Abstract Aim To determine the origin and diversification of monachine seals using a phylogenetic framework. Methods Molecular sequence data from three mitochondrial genes (cyt b, ND1 and 12S), and one nuclear marker (an intron from the á-lactalbumin gene) were examined from all extant species of monachine seals. Maximum likelihood and partitioned Bayesian inference were used to analyse separate and combined (mitochondrial + nuclear) data sets. Divergence times were estimated from the resultant phylogeny using nonparametric rate smoothing as implemented by the program r8s. Results Mirounga, Monachus and the Lobodontini form three well-supported clades within a monophyletic Monachinae. Lobodontini + Mirounga form a clade sister to Monachus. Molecular divergence dates indicate that the first split within the Monachinae (Lobodontini + Mirounga clade and Monachus) occurred between 11.8 and 13.8 Ma and Mirounga, Monachus and the Lobodontini originated 2.7–3.4, 9.1–10.8 and 10.0–11.6 Ma, respectively. Main conclusions Two main clades exist within Monachinae, Monachus and Lobodontini + Mirounga. Monachus, a warm water clade, originated in the North Atlantic and maintained the temperate water affinities of their ancestors as they diversified in the subtropic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The cold-water clade, Lobodontini + Mirounga, dispersed southward to the cooler climates of the Southern Hemisphere. The Lobodontini continued south until reaching the Antarctic region where they diversified into the present-day fauna. Mirounga shows an anti-tropical distribution either reflective of a once cosmopolitan range that was separated by warming waters in the tropics or of transequatorial dispersal. Source: www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2005.01281.x |
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kk1
Full Member
Posts: 63
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Post by kk1 on Apr 24, 2006 15:06:58 GMT
Thats a Rasta Seal! Just kiddin... Its a real shame the caribean has lost this species. Not many people from the caribean or the world know of the diversity of life the caribean ecosystem once supported. Not just large animals like munk seals, sea turtle's, crocodiles, alligators, manatee, and people(arawak/taino). But many small speceis of animal lizards, birds, and plants as well. The fish populations are extremely reduced in number and size(physically) some fish speceis are no longer seen or caught(possibly due to coral loss and over fishing). Which brings me too my point that if they have nothing to eat. And are never seen beached some where for breading purposes( assumming that they do it like other seals). It is very likely the caribean monk seal is no more. to add a touch of optomism, perhaps on some isolated island to far out of the way for the average fisherman there lies a small and happy population of these guys hidding out. Stuffing themselves on untouched stocks of fish, mullusks, and conc's. Hope so, always amazes me the Mediteranean species survies but not this one, though I hope it's like it's cousin from which I've seen uses out of the way hidden caves to breed and has become extremely secretive. |
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Post by Peter on Apr 24, 2006 18:07:55 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Apr 25, 2006 20:34:20 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Feb 10, 2007 8:57:35 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Feb 10, 2007 8:58:21 GMT
he last reliable records of this species are from 1952, when a small colony of monk seals was observed on the Serranilla Bank, a group of tiny coral islands between Jamaica and Honduras. There have been a number of subsequent unconfirmed reports of surviving monk seals from northern Haiti and northeast Jamaica over the past few decades. However, all recent efforts to locate monk seals during the 1980s and 1990s have been unsuccessful, and it is likely that all of the recent reports represent sightings of stray hooded seals (Cystophora cristata), or feral California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) that have escaped from captivity. Former distribution Monachus tropicalis formerly occurred mainly on isolated islands and atolls in the Caribbean region, and only rarelyon the coast of the mainland or in deep waters. Historical records, archaeological and palaeontological data, and analysis of regional place-names suggest that the species was distributed in the western tropical Atlantic as far north as the coast of Georgia, throughout the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the western, southern, and northeastern parts of the Gulf of Mexico, and along the northern coast of Central and South America as far east as Guyana. Breeding grounds are only known from Arrecifés Triangulos ('Triangle Islands', Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico) and the Bahamas, although it has also been suggested that it also bred in the southern Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Islands of Florida. Evolutionary Distinctiveness Order: Carnivora Family: Phocidae M. tropicalis was one of three recent species in the genus Monachus. The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is Critically Endangered, and the Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is Endangered. The oldest known fossil monachines are known from 14.5 million years ago, but several skeletal features of M. schauinslandi are more primitive than in this fossil species, suggesting that the group has a significantly more ancient history. Description, Ecology and Habitat Monk seals differ from other seals in that the pups have black rather than white fur, and the adults have unmarked brown or grey dorsal colouration. Their common name is based on the supposed similarity between the uniformly coloured coat of the seals and the cassocks worn by monks. Adult Caribbean monk seals reached a length of 200-240 cm. Their ecology is believed to have been similar to that of other monk seals, but very little specific information was recorded about the species before it became extinct. Other monk seal species give birth to a single calf every 1-2 years on a sandy beach; the peak birth period of M. tropicalis appears to have been in November-December, with a relatively long pupping season. Recently published field notes from 1900 indicate that the species may have occurred in large groups (up to 100) when abundant, probably ate fish and crustaceans, and was preyed upon by sharks. Factors leading to extinction The species was hunted extensively as an easily exploited source of oil in the tropical Atlantic, with large-scale European exploitation beginning during the second voyage of Columbus in 1494, when his sailors killed ‘eight sea wolves which were sleeping on the sands’ on a small island near Hispaniola. This persecution continued relentlessly. Remnant populations of monk seals were also subject to additional persecution by fishermen for allegedly depleting fish catches, and extensive collecting of specimens for museums and zoos further contributed to its demise. This is illustrated by E. W. Nelson's account of a trip to the Arrecifés Triangulos in June 1900, which describes the overharvesting of one of the last known monk seal populations by both fishermen and museum staff: 'We found these seals much less numerous than they were reported to be by men at Campeche who have visited the Triangles to kill them for oil during the past few years. The man from whom we hired our schooner has made two sealing expeditions to the Triangles and under his directions hundreds of the seals have been killed with clubs. The blubber was removed and tried out [i.e. melted] on the spot and taken back to the mainland in 5 gal. oil tins and sold to the R. R. Co. for $3 per tin for lubricating purposes. In this way the great majority of the existing seals of this species have been destroyed within the last ten years. At the time of our visit we landed on two of the 3 islets making up the group called the Triangles and the total number of seals observed during our week's stay did not exceed 75 of which we obtained a good series [i.e. of museum specimens] about one half the number. Should the sealers again visit the islands it is possible that all of the survivors will be killed.' Indeed, in January 1911, fishermen returned to the Arrecifés Triangulos and killed about 200 more seals. www.edgeofexistence.org/extinctions/monk_seal.asp |
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Post by another specialist on Sept 8, 2007 20:54:56 GMT
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.JPG)
