seal.watch / madeira

Madeira · 2000—2026

Mediterranean monk seal

Madeira’s wild return.

Follow public reports of Madeira’s rare monk seals, known locally as lobo-marinho. Their main refuge is the Desertas Islands, with animals also seen around Madeira’s coast.

About Madeira’s monk seals

In Madeira, Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) form a small resident population. These seals feed mainly on fish, cephalopods and crustaceans, and depend on quiet coastal waters and sheltered beaches or sea caves for resting, giving birth and nursing—making respectful distance essential to their recovery.

Total reports
129
Latest observation

Public reports · newest first

Public records archive

14 October

Reset filters

1 of 129 reports

Loading public records…

Explore by area

All areas

Markers represent broad named areas, never exact observation locations. Select an area to filter the archive.

1 of 1 reports mapped · 1 area

N ↑Desertas Islands · 1 report1
  1. Desertas Islands1 report

Map: Natural Earth.

Reports over time

All dates

Select a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.

  1. 12000
  2. 22001
  3. 22003
  4. 12004
  5. 22005
  6. 22006
  7. 12007
  8. 22008
  9. 12017
  10. 22018
  11. 12019

Months in 2005

  1. 0Jan
  2. 0Feb
  3. 0Mar
  4. 0Apr
  5. 0May
  6. 0Jun
  7. 0Jul
  8. 0Aug
  9. 0Sep
  10. 1Oct
  11. 1Nov
  12. 0Dec

Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.

  1. Desertas coast; Zodiac excursion route unspecified Desertas Islands
    Unidentified William Lopez-Forment / Lindblad Expeditions

    Naturalist William Lopez-Forment recorded one Mediterranean monk seal during a Zodiac excursion along the Desertas coast. The seal swam around the boat, briefly followed its engine bubbles and was photographed. Mediterranean monk seal · 1 seal