monk seal

Definition of monk seal

: any of a genus (Monachus) of hair seals of Hawaii, the Mediterranean Sea, and formerly the Caribbean Sea

Examples of monk seal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hawaiian monk seals are regularly vaccinated against PDV. — Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, "Deadly virus spreads among marine mammals as Arctic ice melts," 7 Nov. 2019 Certain butt diallers have no butt: last year, a gecko infiltrated the Ke Kai Ola Marine Mammal Center, a Hawaiian hospital that specializes in the care of monk seals. — Jody Rosen, The New Yorker, "Rudy Giuliani and the Butt-Dialler Within All of Us," 5 Nov. 2019 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends staying 50 feet away from monk seals resting on a shoreline. — USA TODAY, "‘Joker’ stairs, migration art, Amazon in politics: News from around our 50 states," 31 Oct. 2019 California’s sea otters aren’t the only mammals threatened by the parasite: As Inverse’s Hess reports, monk seals, beluga whales and dolphins are among the other marine species known to be affected by T. gondii. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Parasite Spread by House Cats Is Killing California’s Sea Otters," 30 Aug. 2019 The program spends its time observing monk seals on the northern Hawaiian islands, putting them in the perfect position to observe this awkward young seal who can’t eat eels properly. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Why Are Seals Getting Eels Stuck in Their Noses?," 7 Dec. 2018 An Alabama man was fined $1,500 for touching a Hawaiian monk seal as well as harassing a sea turtle on Kauai and then posting the videos on social media. — Fox News, "Tourist in Hawaii fined for harassing endangered animals," 27 Aug. 2018 The island vanished seemingly overnight, imperiling the already fragile monk seal population of 1,400 worldwide, many of which proliferate in the region. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "A Remote Hawaiian Island Disappeared Completely Following a Hurricane," 24 Oct. 2018 Several monk seals and sea lions have required surgeries over the years for ingesting items that don't belong in the ocean, mainly fishing gear — from fishing nets to crab traps, Hawaii DLNR explained. — Jennifer Earl, Fox News, "Knife-wielding monk seal pup spotted on Hawaii beach," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monk seal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

22 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Monk seal.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monk%20seal. Accessed 8 December 2019.

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