monk seal

noun

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

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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 When the water’s calmer, parents and kids can stroll the shoreline and scan the surf for slumbering green sea turtles or Hawaiian monk seals. — Matt Villano, Sunset, "Our Guide to Visiting Hawaii with Kids," 22 Jan. 2018 Anyone who sees a monk seal should report the sighting to your local marine mammal response coordinator, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Fisheries requests. — Jennifer Earl, Fox News, "Knife-wielding monk seal pup spotted on Hawaii beach," 20 Apr. 2018 The Guam flycatcher, the Caribbean monk seal, and the blackfin cisco are now completely extinct from our planet. — Josh Linkner, Detroit Free Press, "This happened to the Yangtze River dolphin; could it happen to you?," 1 Apr. 2018 The first two Hawaiian monk seals pups of 2018 have been born. — Fox News, "First Hawaiian monk seals of 2018 born on Lanai, Big Island," 14 Mar. 2018 In the meantime, count on Sirocco to boom loudly online, for kākāpō and many others—from monk seals to conservation dogs to earthworms—with surplus charm and unending charisma. — Claire Voon, Smithsonian, "Seduced By a Rare Parrot," 13 Apr. 2017

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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The first known use of monk seal was in 1841

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