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 January—27 June
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…
2 of 129 reports
Loading public records…
Public records could not be loaded. Check your connection and try again.
Explore by area
Markers represent broad named areas, never exact observation locations. Select an area to filter the archive.
0 of 2 reports mapped · 0 areas
No matching reports have a mapped area yet.
Other reported areas
No map reference yet. You can still explore these reports.
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 2011
Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.
-
Date:Reported: Unidentified Lobosonda, firsthand boat-trip report
Observation: Lobosonda reported a brief morning encounter with one monk seal. The exact location was not stated.
-
Date:Reported: Unidentified Lobosonda, firsthand boat-trip report
Observation: Lobosonda reported a monk seal eating a ray during its trip that day and included photographs. The encounter site was not specified.