---
title: "Mediterranean Monk Seal"
description: "Monachus monachus — Mammals. The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/mediterranean-monk-seal
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Mediterranean Monk Seal

> Monachus monachus — Mammals. The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae.

- Scientific name: *Monachus monachus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `sea` (Sea & coast)
- iNaturalist observations: 345
- Wikidata: [Q208549](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q208549)
- iNaturalist taxon: [41716](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41716)

## Names

- en: Mediterranean Monk Seal
- de: Mittelmeer-Mönchsrobbe
- es: Foca monje
- fr: Phoque moine de Méditerranée
- nl: Mediterrane monniksrob
- pt: Foca-monge-do-mediterrâneo
- pl: Mniszka śródziemnomorska

## Countries with the most observations

GR (154), PT (35), AL (33), IL (20), TR (14), HR (6)

## Summary

The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. As of 2026, it is estimated that between 800 and 1000 individuals survive in isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Aegean Sea, the archipelago of Madeira, and the Cabo Blanco area in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean spanning the border of Mauritania and Western Sahara. It is believed to be the world's rarest pinniped species. It is the only extant species in the genus Monachus, the other two monk seal species being in Neomonachus.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_monk_seal

## Photo

![Mediterranean Monk Seal](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/mediterranean-monk-seal/medium.jpg)

Photo: James Eaton · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/221766250

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/mediterranean-monk-seal?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).