Too welcoming for their own good.
Last confirmed sighting in 1952.
Declared extinct in 2008.
Was the only seal indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
Extinct due to overhunting of their species and overfishing of their food sources.
Meet the Caribbean monk seal. These were a species native to warm, tropical waters. They were the only seal species found along the coasts of Texas and Florida.
In 1494, Christopher Columbus found these seals during a voyage. He referred to these as sea wolves. His crew killed all 8 that were spotted on the shore. This was the beginning of it all.
These were related to the endangered Hawaiian monk seals and Mediterranean monk seals. Caribbean monk seals were known for their docile nature and lack of a flight response, which made them vulnerable to colonizers who hunted them for their blubber.
They’d often be found in groups of 20-40 on land, or occasionally in caves. Their diet consisted of fish and small marine invertebrates. Overfishing of their food sources is also thought to be a cause of their extinction.
At the start of the 1900s, sightings became much more rare. The New York aquarium acquired 4 Caribbean monk seals. There were sparse sightings during the next few decades, and a final seal was found and killed by humans in 1939. It would be 10 more years until another was spotted, until 1952 — the last confirmed sighting to take place.
After extensive expeditions, the Caribbean monk seal was confirmed extinct. Alongside the Caribbean monk seal, a mite went extinct (Halarachne americana - Caribbean monk seal nasal mite), as it was unable to adapt to the loss of them. Additionally, the loss of the Caribbean monk seals left a big hole in their ecosystem as they were a prevalent predator. Not only that, but it is thought that they were prey for larger species and sharks and potentially even transient orcas.
Their loss left a lot of questions that can never be answered. Not only that, but this serves as a reminder for the devastating effect that colonizers not only had on indigenous people — but also the local ecosystems and native wildlife.
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