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
13 October 2016—15 April 2019
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3 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: Profeta Rosário Martins / Funchal Notícias; unnamed reader's eyewitness account
Observation: A reader described the young seal called Profeta resting on Porto Santo's beach and returning to the water around 19:30 on Monday. The account describes the animal as a female about six to eight months old.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Rúben Santos and Gonçalo Maia / Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: A young seal was found on Praia da Calheta around 16:00. The contemporary report said it showed no visible injuries and was being observed by nature wardens.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified immature seal RTP Madeira, reporting IFCN nature wardens' observation
Observation: After a tourism boat crew reported a seal, nature wardens observed an immature animal at Porto dos Frades on Porto Santo. It moved around the area for nearly an hour.