Rocky and Kaimana
Hawaiian Monk Seal pup, Kaimana, and momma, Rocky (tagged RH58), on Kaimana Beach.
It's rare for a monk seal pup to be born on the crowded beaches of the south shore of Oahu. As such, these two captured the hearts of many.
When a pup is born they weigh around 25-30+ pounds. During the period when the pup is nursing the mother does not eat at all. After a few weeks, the pup will grow to weigh 100-150 pounds, at the same time the mother will lose a few hundred pounds. While the pup is nursing, both mom and the pup remain on the beach and in the shallow water as the pup learns to swim.
The seal pups stop nursing between five and seven weeks of age. At that time the mother will desert the pup to return to the ocean, leaving the pup on his/her own. The pup will typically remain on the beach alone for a few more weeks. The gestation of Hawaiian monk seals is approximately one year long. Female seals begin to have pups around age four or five.
Hawaiian monk seals are the most endangered marine mammals in the world with approximately only 1400 left in the wild. They are the rarest seal/sea lion in US waters. The Hawaiian monk seal is native to and only lives in Hawaiian waters. Unlike harbor seals or elephant seals, they live a solitary existence (hence the name monk), survive for about 25-30 years, can weigh up to 600 pounds and grow to 7+ feet long. Most of them live in the remote northwest Hawaiian Islands. July 2017.
