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—17 May
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…
4 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.
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 2021
Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.
-
Date: 2021Reported: Same 23-year-old female from the April–May sequence Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Mortality record: found dead after the repeated sightings and treatment sequence.
-
Date: 2021Reported: Same unidentified female as the April sequence Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Intervention: the debilitated animal was assessed and medicated by IFCN personnel.
-
Date: 2021Reported: Unidentified adult female Diário de Notícias Madeira
Observation: Repeated sighting: the first exact-dated public record in a sequence already underway for roughly a week and a half, followed by the 1 and 17 May records.
-
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.