monk seal

American  

noun

1. a small, dark brown, subtropical seal of the genus Monachus: the three species, M. tropicalis of the Caribbean, M. schauinslandi of Hawaiian island regions, and M. monachus of the Mediterranean, are endangered.

---

Etymology

Origin of monk seal

1835–45; apparently translation of the NL genus name Monachus ( see monk), originally a specific name ( Phoca monacha ), probably in allusion to the animal's gray coloration and isolated breeding sites; compare French moine, Italian monaco the monk seal, literally, monk

Example Sentences

The research team used passive acoustic recorders placed at five important monk seal habitats, spanning sites from Molokaʻi to the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

From Science Daily • Nov. 18, 2025

When a research group posted a picture of a young monk seal on the Internet, the picture, and the seal, soon became big news.

From NewsForKids.net • Feb. 2, 2024

The global Mediterranean monk seal population is estimated at between 400 and 500, placing it among the rarest marine mammals, Baz said.

From Reuters • May 15, 2023

The April 14 birth marked the third consecutive year a monk seal gave birth to a pup on Kaimana Beach.

From Washington Times • Apr. 22, 2023

Broadening the database to include rare species such as the Mediterranean monk seal and Hawaiian monk seal could help inform conservation efforts to save those species, she said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 23, 2022