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—27 November
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4 of 129 reports
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Markers represent broad named areas, never exact observation locations. Select an area to filter the archive.
4 of 4 reports mapped · 2 areas
Map: Natural Earth.
Reports over time
All datesSelect a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.
Months in 2008
Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.
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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: Tria Rosa Pires, Parque Natural da Madeira identification catalogue
Observation: First identified in Desertas.
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Date:Reported: Manchada Rosa Pires, Parque Natural da Madeira identification catalogue
Observation: First identified in Desertas.
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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.