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
6 May 2006—25 September 2024
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5 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
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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:Reported: Unidentified Peter Worth / Lobosonda
Observation: A resting monk seal was observed on the morning Ribeira Brava trip.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified juvenile Daniel Jardim / Lobosonda
Observation: Daniel Jardim reported a juvenile Mediterranean monk seal far offshore during Lobosonda's 10:00 Ribeira Brava trip. The animal's individual identity had not been established by Madeira Natural Park when the account was written.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Lobosonda
Observation: Lobosonda encountered a monk seal shortly after leaving harbour on its morning trip. The seal dived and returned to the surface with an octopus.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Lobosonda; observer Claudia
Observation: Lobosonda reported a monk seal in the harbour while Claudia was working in its shop. The encounter is recorded in the diary for 28 December, published the next day.
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Date:Reported: Desertinha Rosa Pires, Parque Natural da Madeira / The Monachus Guardian; photographs by Carlos Freitas
Observation: Desertinha was discovered alive off Madeira with a deep wound around her hind flippers. She subsequently stayed near a Funchal waterfront facility for several days. Rosa Pires reported her later recovery; the injury's cause was unconfirmed.