The Hawaiian Monk Seal Coursework Example

The Hawaiian Monk Seal
Student’s Name
Institution’s Affiliation
Hawaiian Monk Seal
Introduction
Hawaiian Monk Seal is an organism that lives in coral reefs, atolls and sandy beaches of Hawaii Island Baker, Harting, Johanos, & Littman, 2016). They belong to genus Monachus together with other species of monk seals such as Caribbean Monk Seal and Mediterranean monk seal and elephant seal. A major difference among these species is that they are geographically widely separated. The Hawaiian monk seal is a critically endangered species in Hawaii with its population falling by 60% in the last fifty years (Di Sciara & Kotomatas, 2016). This situation has been drawing concern from various environment conservation bodies for the need to conserve and recover this species. According to Baker, et al., (2016), “the U.S. government, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Hawaiian Island National Wildlife Refuge (HINWR), has been educating the public about the need to conserve the little number of Hawaiian monk seals remaining (p.322).”
Living conditions and the roles of Hawaiian monk seal to the environment.
Hawaiian Monk Seals are found in the warm tropical waters of Hawaiian coastline with a temperature of between 13 ºC to 20 ºC (Di Sciara & Kotomatas, 2016). They feed on small bony fish such as eels, small and big octopi and crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters, and shrimps. Nonetheless, this species has a high foraging capacity that enables them to have a diverse diet.

The seal is considerably important to humans and the environment, in which it lives. Their foraging capacity enables them to control a population of other organisms. They feed on the excess number of the organisms, therefore, curbing overpopulation. Some of the monk seal’s body parts are significant to humans, for example, the skin was used in the manufacture of clothes, and its meat is nutritious and was largely consumed during the World War II by American soldiers and the native community Nevertheless, the animal’s body is also rich in oil which is used for medicinal purposes.
Organisms closely related to the monk seals of Hawaii
Monachus genus has various species of monk seals which resemble each other with the only difference being geographical location and slight adaptive features (Di Sciara & Kotomatas, 2016). Like monk seal of Hawaii which hails from Hawaii Island, the monk seal of Caribbean is found in the Caribbean Sea, though, this species became extinct since the 1950s (Baker et al., 2016). The Mediterranean monk seals are also found in the Mediterranean Sea. Others include elephant seals, Antarctic seals, and pliophoca as shown in the phylogenetic tree.
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Fig: 1. 1 Phylogenetic tree Fig: 1. 2 Hawaiian monk seal basking
Adaptations of Hawaiian monk seal to its environment
An adult Hawaiian Monk Seal weight between 300- 400 pounds and they are about two meters long; females are relatively bigger and heavier (Baker et al., 2016). The Hawaiian monk seals have flippers which enable them to swim swiftly against water waves. These flippers are the major organs and the most significant parts of their bodies. The hind flipper which is muscular enables propulsion, and the front flippers are for stability. Their bodies have highly developed thick blabber which gives them greater buoyancy as well as insulating the body for a constant temperature even in deep and cold ocean waters. The blabber also protects the Monk seal against losing bodily water due to hypertonic nature of the ocean waters Di Sciara & Kotomatas, 2016). They have vertically slit nose which is capable of closing while it is under water to prevent the water from entering the lungs. Its lungs are capable of holding breath for a maximum of 25 to 30 minutes and as a result enable the seal to go deeper into ocean water for the same duration (Baker et al., 2016). Monk seal has a smooth skin which reduces friction with water during motion. The above adaptive features are very significant for the Hawaiian monk seal as it facilitates hunting as well as running away from predators.
The Changes that would happen if this species of monk seal is transferred completely from sea to land
This species of seals share both land and water as their habitat. However, they spend more time in water (Baker et al., 2016). They go hunting in deep parts of the ocean, and when they are tired, they bask in sandy beaches on Hawaiian coastline. If the Hawaiian monk seal is transferred to live purely on land, its blabber and flippers would be of less significance to it. The hind flipper will develop into hind limbs and the front ones into fore limp. The blabber would also shrink to give room for skin transpiration and loss of excess heat (Di Sciara & Kotomatas, 2016).
Conclusion
The Hawaiian Monk Seal, found in the sandy Hawaii beaches and coral reefs play a critical role in the ecosystem. This organism’s oil has medicinal value and has been used since Second World War to combat various deficiencies and as a supplement (Baker et al., 2016. Unlike fish, Hawaiian monk seal can hold breath for long is not necessary on land since the air readily available. It is not likely that the Hawaiian monk seal would survive on land since most of its food is found in the ocean. Secondly, the speed and efficiency of hunting are limited to the ocean. Finally, the temperatures on land are quite high for the seal making it inactive.
References
Baker, J. D., Harting, A. L., Johanos, T. C., & Littnan, C. L. (2016). Estimating Hawaiian monk seal range-wide abundance and associated uncertainty. Endangered Species Research, 31, 317-324.
Di Sciara, G. N., & Kotomatas, S. (2016). Chapter Twelve-Are Mediterranean Monk Seals, Monachusmonachus, Being Left to Save Themselves from Extinction?Advances in marine biology, 75, 359-386.