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
17 April 2021—17 September 2026
Follow updates
Receive alerts for new public reports. Lock-screen alerts show only the broad Madeira area, never the exact location.
Checking notification support on this device…
12 of 129 reports
Loading public records…
Public records could not be loaded. Check your connection and try again.
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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Visitor report to Seal Watch
Observation: 1 seal observed at 15:00 (Madeira time). Saw her too late so she bit me in my right ankle. I think she might searched for food.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified RTP Madeira
Observation: A red flag was raised while the seal remained close to the bathing area.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Madeira Island News Blog
Observation: Observed close to bathers; the report did not establish the animal's identity.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified JM Madeira / RTP Madeira
Observation: Entered or approached the bathing/harbour area.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Observed moving among moored boats during the afternoon.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Filmed by a fisher shortly after midnight; it may have been the individual seen nearby on 5 Feb.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified JM Madeira
Observation: Observed during the afternoon; photo/video supplied by a reader.
-
Date: 2025Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Repeated-sighting sequence: observed along the same coastal section on consecutive days.
-
Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed close to shore in the bathing area.
-
Date: 2024Reported: Unidentified RTP Madeira
Observation: Sighting: observed close to the bathing area.
-
Date: 2022Reported: Unidentified healthy male pup IFCN / VECLAM
Observation: Rescue and release: a lone pup was recovered and returned to the group of females and pups.
-
Date: 2021Reported: Maminhas Diário de Notícias Madeira / JM Madeira
Observation: Mortality record: later reporting placed the discovery on 17 April and recovery on 18 April; contemporary reports differed on the discovery day and estimated weight.