Kauaʻi record · KCA-MAM-hawaiian-monk-seal
Hawaiian monk seal
Neomonachus schauinslandi
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About Hawaiian monk seal
Kauaʻi status: Confirmed on Kauaʻi shores and surrounding waters. Ecological relationships include beaches, reefs, fisheries, marine debris, and land-to-sea disease pathways.
Kauaʻi evidence
NOAA documents Kauaʻi beach occurrence and critical habitat around Kauaʻi.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Neomonachus schauinslandi
- Common names
- Hawaiian monk seal
- Hawaiian names
- ʻĪlioholoikauaua
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Confirmed on Kauaʻi shores and surrounding waters
- Origin
- Endemic
- Conservation status
- ESA endangered; MMPA protected and depleted
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-13
- Evidence limits
- Uncertainty is retained at site, abundance, and trend levels.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- sandy beaches · rocky shore · nearshore reef · marine waters to foraging depth
- Food and resource needs
- reef and bottom-associated fish · cephalopods · crustaceans
- Reproduction
- quiet pupping beaches · mother-pup separation distances
- Shelter
- beaches · rocky coves · nearshore refuges
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- food limitation · entanglement · disease including toxoplasmosis · human disturbance · intentional harm · habitat loss
- Conservation actions
- give seals space · report sightings and distress · reduce entanglement · control toxoplasmosis pathways · protect pupping habitat
- Monitoring
- individual photo-ID and tags · pupping counts · health and stranding response
- Data gaps
- Site-scale abundance and trend coverage remains uneven.
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- Kauaʻi status: Confirmed on Kauaʻi shores and surrounding waters. Ecological relationships include beaches, reefs, fisheries, marine debris, and land-to-sea disease pathways.