The breeding season occurs between December and mid-August although most pups are born from March to June. Pups, weighing approximately 16-18 kg and measuring 1 m, are born with a long, woolly, black coat which is shed at about six weeks of age. At about this time, the pups are weaned. Females reach sexual maturity at 5 or 6 years of age, and may live to be 20-25 years old. Monk seals, like most monachines seals, walruses, fur seals and sea lions, have four mammae.
Monk seals feed on a variety of fish, cephalopods and crustaceans.
Status In 1976, the Hawaiian monk seal was listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Red List of Threatened Species. Sources Atkinson, S. 1998. Conservation strategies for declining monk seal populations. Workshop on the biology and conservation of the world''s endangered monk seals.