Mediterranean Monk Seal Seen in Montenegrin Open Waters
Have you heard of the Mediterranean Monk Seal? On Tuesday, 27 May 2025, fisherman Stefan Radunović reported a rare and remarkable encounter with a strictly protected species – the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus). Mr Radunović observed the animal at the open see off the coast of Petrovac.
The Mediterranean monk seal is a marine mammal belonging to the order Carnivora, suborder Pinnipedia, and the true seal family (Phocidae). Other groups within the pinnipeds include eared seals and walruses. It is likely the rarest species within its suborder, and certainly one of the most endangered mammals on the planet.
This species is the only surviving member of the genus Monachus, with its closest relatives being the Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) and the Caribbean monk seal (Neomonachus tropicalis), the latter believed to have gone extinct in the second half of the 20th century.
According to estimates from 2020, fewer than 700 individuals of the Mediterranean monk seal remain globally. Females give birth throughout the year, but the majority of births are recorded between September and November. They typically give birth on secluded beaches or in underwater caves, which provide shelter from predators and human disturbance.
Encouragingly, recent analyses show signs of a modest recovery in the population, prompting the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to reclassify the species from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable.”
In Montenegro, the Mediterranean monk seal is a strictly protected species under national legislation (Decision on the Protection of Certain Plant and Animal Species, Official Gazette of Montenegro, No. 76/2006) and through international treaties and conventions to which Montenegro is a signatory, including the Bern Convention (Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats), the Bonn Convention (CMS), CITES, the Barcelona Convention and its SPA/BD Protocol, ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area), the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), as part of the process of harmonisation with the EU acquis, and the UNEP/MAP Action Plan for the Conservation of the Mediterranean Monk Seal.
We kindly call on all citizens and visitors who may encounter a Mediterranean monk seal to observe it from a safe distance, without disturbing or attempting to approach the animal.
If you are able to photograph or film the seal, please share the material with the Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, including the exact location and time of the sighting.
In a happy coincidence, Post of Montenegro, in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Montenegro, will unveil a set of commemorative postage stamps from the “Nature Protection” series, featuring the Mediterranean monk seal, on Thursday, 29 May 2025, at 12:00 noon, at the Boka Aquarium.