Observations made in the field and from animals collected in the 19th Century provide evidence that pups were born from at least late fall to early winter.  A long pupping season is known for both the congeneric Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals that also live in sub-tropical habitats, and it is reasonable to assume this was also the case for the Caribbean monk seal.  The animals collected in December 1886 included newborn pups, and several females with term fetuses.  Also, an animal described as recently weaned was encountered in the spring and a female with a large fetus was taken in July.

It can be inferred that the Caribbean monk seal was a social species, possibly in the manner of the Hawaiian monk seal in that the large number collected in 1886 were all taken from three small cays in three days.  Furthermore, the collectors describe finding females with term fetuses hauled-out near one another, and in another case a pregnant female was hauled-out in the vicinity of a female suckling a pup.  Hauled-out groups of 20-40 were observed and reference was made to groups of 100 or more in earlier times.  An otherwise undescribed group of five animals hauled-out together included a large, scarred adult male.  On another occasion, the collectors encountered a group whose composition and numbers were not given, but the seals were “huddled together.”  Young Caribbean monk seals were also described to rest in pools of water, presumably for thermoregulation.

Several descriptions exist of the vocalizations of the Caribbean monk seal.   A young animal briefly held in captivity was said to grunt like a pig, and bark, growl and snarl like a dog.  In another account, seals that were approached by hunters were said to “bark in a hoarse, gurgling, death-rattle tone.”

Generally, the seals were described as having very few scars from fighting, although one large adult male was observed with gashes and scars like seams.

There is no information on food and feeding habits.  The specimens collected in 1886 all had stomachs that had fluid only

or were empty.  The assumption at the time was that the diet consisted of fish.  Native fishermen of the area were asked what these seals ate and replied that they fed “as generally on molluscous animals as on fish, and that their teeth suffered much wear and tear in the work of breaking shells.”  The scarred adult male described above, also had teeth “worn nearly to stumps.”

Extensive searches for Caribbean monk seals have been conducted with no success.  The last sightings were from Serranilla Bank in 1952, and the species is now presumed to be extinct.

For current information on the conservation status of this species, please consult the following websites: 

• IUCN Species Redlist    
• CITES webpage
• NMFS Stock Assessment Reports

ADAM, P. J., G. G. GARCIA.  2003.  New information on the natural history, distribution, and skull size of the extinct (?) West Indian monk seal, Monachus tropicalis.  Marine mammal science 19(2):297-317.

ALLEN, J. A.  1887.  The West Indian monk seal (Monachus tropicalis, Gray).  Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2(1):1-34.

GILMARTIN, W. G., AND J. FORCADA.   2002.  Monk seals Monachus monachus, M. tropicalis, and M. schauinslandi.  Pp . 756-759 in W. F. Perrin, B. Wursig, and J. G. M.  Thiewissen, eds.  Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Academic Press.

KENYON, K. W.  1981.  Monk Seals-Monachus Flemming, 1822.  Pp. 195-220 in S. H. Ridgway and R. Harrison, eds. Handbook of marine mammals, Vol. 2: Seals.  Academic Press.

LEBOEUF, B. J., K. W. KENYON AND B. VILLA-RAMIREZ.  1986.  The Caribbean monk seal is extinct.  Marine Mammal Science 2(1):70-72.

TIMM, R. M., R. M. SALAZAR AND A. TOWNSEND PETERSON.  1997.  Historical distribution of the extinct tropical seal, Monachus tropicalis (Carnivora: Phocidae).  Conservation Biology 11:549-551.