Mediterranean monk seals: distribution

Two separate populations

The Mediterranean monk seal once lived in colonies along the coasts of the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to Senegal. But today they are one of the rarest mammals in the world. Only around 500 remain, scattered between Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, and the Madeira Islands.

Two detached populations
Mediterranean monk seals are today divided into two distinct regions:

• Atlantic population - Mauritania (where the only remaining colony survives, with around 100 individuals), Maderia Islands, and Morocco.
• Mediterranean population - Greece, Turkey, and the eastern Mediterranean.
  

Turkey and Greece: key to the monk seal's survival
Around 300 monk seals - the largest population - live in the Aegean Sea, the part of the Mediterranean bounded by Turkey to the east, mainland Greece to the west, and the island of Crete to the south. Turkey and Greece are therefore key countries for the continued survival of the Mediterranean monk seal.

In addition to the Aegean Sea, monk seals also live on the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, and Mediterranean Sea in Turkey. The seals are not distributed evenly, but occur in clusters:

• Black Sea: between Samsun/Yakakent and Bartin Bogazi.
• Marmara Sea: Marmara and Mola Islands, and north shores of Biga Peninsula.
• Eastern Mediterranean: between Datça and Kemer; Alanya and Tasucu; and Hatay/Samandagi and the Syrian border.