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
23 March—28 December
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5 of 129 reports
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2 of 5 reports mapped · 2 areas
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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 2014
Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.
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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: 2014Reported: Unidentified iNaturalist — Thomas Menut
Observation: Thomas Menut recorded a Mediterranean monk seal in the Madeira archipelago. The observation includes photographs; the source obscures the location.
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Date: 2014Reported: Unidentified iNaturalist — Luis Silva
Observation: Luis Silva recorded a Mediterranean monk seal in the Madeira archipelago. The observation includes photographs; the source obscures the location.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Patrícia Gaspar / Domínio Público, quoting witness Tânia Ramos
Observation: Tânia Ramos told journalist Patrícia Gaspar that a large seal floated briefly at the surface beside Barreirinha bathing complex, submerged and reappeared nearby. The article reports other people at the neighbouring café also saw it.
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Date:Reported: Metade (source identification) Lobosonda; identification attributed to Madeira Natural Park
Observation: Lobosonda observed a monk seal inside Calheta marina. Its Portuguese account names the animal Metade. A later update describes the same visit and reports that the seal was alive with a neck wound, correcting an earlier mistaken death identification.