Image of Hawaiian Monk Seal

Description:

These endangered seals are endemic to Hawaii. Perhaps 1100 seals currently exist (NOAA, 2010), living mostly in the uninhabited Northwest Hawaiian Islands. This 5 year old male (at time of photo) is apparently one of 2 males known to live on the Big Island (NOAA, 2013). He was basking on this beach on the windward side of the Big Island when this photo was taken in the morning. I spotted the other Big Island male basking on a gravel bar in Kiholo Bay on the leeward side of the Big Island in March, 2013 (9 years old at time of obs.).