seal.watch / madeira

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

27 January—1 July

Reset filters

4 of 129 reports

Loading public records…

Explore by area

Markers represent broad named areas, never exact observation locations. Select an area to filter the archive.

4 of 4 reports mapped · 1 area

N ↑Funchal · 4 reports1
  1. Funchal4 reports

Map: Natural Earth.

Reports over time

All dates

Select a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.

  1. 12000
  2. 22001
  3. 12002
  4. 22003
  5. 12004
  6. 22005
  7. 42006
  8. 12007
  9. 42008
  10. 22010
  11. 22011
  12. 32012
  13. 22013
  14. 52014
  15. 32015
  16. 22016
  17. 42017
  18. 52018
  19. 62019
  20. 42020
  21. 42021
  22. 22022
  23. 92023
  24. 222024
  25. 102025
  26. 262026

Months in 2020

  1. 1Jan
  2. 0Feb
  3. 0Mar
  4. 1Apr
  5. 0May
  6. 1Jun
  7. 1Jul
  8. 0Aug
  9. 0Sep
  10. 0Oct
  11. 0Nov
  12. 0Dec

Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.

  1. 2020
    Hotel Penha de França area Funchal
    Pontinhos Diário de Notícias Madeira

    Injured-animal sighting: found injured on 1 July and last reported on 3 July; the cause of the wounds was not established publicly.

  2. 2020
    Poças do Gomes Funchal
    Unidentified; apparently female (uncertain) Diário de Notícias Madeira

    Sighting / resting: observed resting or sleeping beside the bathing area; the reported sex was not confirmed.

  3. 2020
    Marina do Funchal / Lota area Funchal
    Probably Pontinhos (uncertain) Diário de Notícias Madeira

    Sighting: observed inside the harbour area; probably part of the later documented Pontinhos sequence, but the identity was not confirmed.

  4. 2020
    Off Barreirinha Funchal
    Unidentified Diário de Notícias Madeira

    Sighting: filmed swimming offshore.