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 May 2008—8 September 2026
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41 of 129 reports
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Explore by area
All areasMarkers represent broad named areas, never exact observation locations. Select an area to filter the archive.
105 of 129 reports mapped · 12 areas
- Calheta17 reports
- Calheta waters1 report
- Câmara de Lobos3 reports
- Caniçal1 report
- Caniço1 report
- Desertas Islands17 reports
- Funchal41 reports
- Machico7 reports
- Porto Santo3 reports
- Ribeira Brava1 report
- Santa Cruz12 reports
- Santana1 report
Other reported areas
No map reference yet. You can still explore these reports.
Map: Natural Earth.
Reports over time
Select a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.
Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Public
Observation: Around Lido and Gorgulho Islet
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified JM Madeira
Observation: Observed close to shore near Praia Formosa and Doca do Cavacas.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified JM Madeira
Observation: Approached bathers near the bathing complex platform.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified young seal Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Rested beside the bathing complex while a safety perimeter was maintained.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified JM Madeira
Observation: Its appearance prompted a red flag and temporarily kept bathers out of the water.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Public
Observation: Two bathers were bitten and sustained minor injuries; bathing was temporarily suspended and IFCN urged people to avoid interaction.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Observed close to the bathing area during the morning.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira / RTP Madeira
Observation: Rested ashore near the coast and was filmed returning to the sea.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Observed near shore, apparently resting at the surface.
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Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified RTP Madeira
Observation: Seen beside Doca do Cavacas during the afternoon and reported swimming along Praia Formosa.
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Date: 2025Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting / resting: observed resting on the maritime ramp.
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Date: 2025Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed close to bathers.
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Date: 2025Reported: Unidentified Public
Observation: Observed inside the dock area.
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Date: 2025Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed beside the pier.
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Date: 2025Reported: Unidentified Jornal da Madeira (Romina Barreto)
Observation: One lobo-marinho was seen beside the nau Santa Maria in Funchal harbour at about noon on 22 January 2025. The report did not identify the animal; its relation to the separate 24 January sighting is unknown.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed at the mouths of the Santa Luzia and João Gomes streams.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified; apparently adult (uncertain) Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed inside the marina; the reported adult age class was not confirmed.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira (Gabriel da Silva video)
Observation: One lobo-marinho swam near a group of five swimmers at Lido; Gabriel da Silva filmed the animal. The 31 Aug article says the encounter was 'ontem', establishing 30 Aug as the observation date.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: One lobo-marinho swam near the bathing complex's access steps. Bystanders left the water during the encounter.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Jornal da Madeira, via NetMadeira republication
Observation: One lobo-marinho was observed near Praia da Barreirinha on the afternoon of Thursday 15 Aug, drawing the attention of bathers.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Repeated sightings: the animal had reportedly used this coastal section for about three days; its identity was not established.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed beside the bathing complex.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: reported as the third recent appearance in the same harbour area.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified RTP Madeira
Observation: Reported and photographed near Praia Formosa; the seal had left before IFCN personnel arrived.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira (Joana Freitas images)
Observation: One lobo-marinho was seen close to the shore at Praia Formosa and photographed by Joana Freitas. The report explicitly distinguishes this encounter from the 30 Apr sighting at the same beach; whether the same animal returned is unknown.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira; Jornal da Madeira
Observation: One lobo-marinho was filmed swimming near bathers at Praia Formosa. Diário de Notícias says it was seen that morning; Sandra Oliveira supplied the video. Jornal da Madeira reported the same encounter.
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Date: 2024Reported: Two unidentified seals; juvenile and adult reported Sergio@Cruises (Sergio Ferreira)
Observation: Sergio Ferreira reported two lobos-marinhos in Funchal harbour, describing one as juvenile and one as adult. The age classes are source attributions; no individual identity or relation to other April reports is established.
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Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting / feeding: observed feeding on fish beside the marina.
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Date: 2022Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed in the harbour area during the morning.
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Date: 2020Reported: Pontinhos Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Injured-animal sighting: found injured on 1 July and last reported on 3 July; the cause of the wounds was not established publicly.
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Date: 2020Reported: Unidentified; apparently female (uncertain) Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting / resting: observed resting or sleeping beside the bathing area; the reported sex was not confirmed.
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Date: 2020Reported: Probably Pontinhos (uncertain) Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed inside the harbour area; probably part of the later documented Pontinhos sequence, but the identity was not confirmed.
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Date: 2020Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: filmed swimming offshore.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Orlando Drumond / Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: A possible seal was reported near Avenida do Mar at night. The authorities said they had received the report but had not located the animal or confirmed that it was a seal.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified RTP Madeira; images and account by Anibal Rodrigues
Observation: Anibal Rodrigues recorded a seal near the coast by Clube Naval do Funchal in the afternoon. The account raised a concern about its condition and said marine-biology staff were monitoring it; no diagnosis was established.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Luís Calisto / Fénix do Atlântico
Observation: Journalist Luís Calisto reported a seal swimming near the Clube Naval bathing area below Quinta Calaça on Saturday morning. The animal was seen around the entrance to the club's waterfront.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Patrícia Gaspar / Domínio Público, quoting witness Tânia Ramos
Observation: Tânia Ramos told journalist Patrícia Gaspar that a large seal floated briefly at the surface beside Barreirinha bathing complex, submerged and reappeared nearby. The article reports other people at the neighbouring café also saw it.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Cláudio Jardim, Natureza Zero, firsthand account
Observation: Cláudio Jardim described a monk seal feeding about 30 metres away at lunchtime, shortly after he had left the water at Clube Naval do Funchal.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Mark Coller, firsthand field notes published by Madeira Wind Birds
Observation: Mark Coller reported watching one monk seal in Funchal Harbour for about five minutes before it swam southeast.
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Date:Reported: Desertinha Rosa Pires, Parque Natural da Madeira; The Monachus Guardian, June 2009
Observation: Desertinha was found resting and visibly ill at Funchal Harbour. The original account explicitly dates this wild encounter before capture. She was subsequently taken into care and died on 1 December.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Wind Birds, firsthand observation report
Observation: Wind Birds watched one Mediterranean monk seal off Lido for about an hour before sunset. The seal appeared to be resting with its eyes closed; the observers were unsure whether it was injured.