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

1 August

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1 of 129 reports

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

1 of 1 reports mapped · 1 area

N ↑Funchal · 1 report1
  1. Funchal1 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. 22008
  2. 12010
  3. 12013
  4. 12014
  5. 12015
  6. 22019
  7. 42020
  8. 12022
  9. 132024
  10. 52025
  11. 102026

Months in 2013

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

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

  1. Clube Naval do Funchal Funchal
    Unidentified Cláudio Jardim, Natureza Zero, firsthand account

    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. Mediterranean monk seal · 1 seal