Are Mediterranean Monk Seals, Monachus monachus, Being Left to Save Themselves from Extinction?

Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus), amongst the most endangered marine mammals, are showing localised signs of recovery warranting their recent down-listing, from Critically Endangered to Endangered, on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. This, however, cannot be taken as a reason for complacency, as the species' condition is still very critical, having been extirpated from most of its historical range. Monk seals within the Mediterranean, a 'unit to conserve' separate from Atlantic conspecifics, were once widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean Sea, with their range also extending into the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

Identification of morbilliviruses of probable cetacean origin in carcases of Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus).

Two morbilliviruses were isolated from carcases of Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) which had died in coastal areas of Greece and Mauritania. They were characterised as being closely related to the previously identified dolphin and porpoise morbilliviruses on the basis of their serological cross-reactivities in immunofluorescence assays, and sequence homologies in their N and P genes. The results suggest that morbilliviruses of aquatic mammals may cross barriers between species of different orders.

Monk seal mortality: virus or toxin?

During the past few months, more than half of the total population of about 300 highly endangered Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) on the western Saharan coast of Africa, died in a mysterious disease outbreak. Epizootiological and postmortem findings were reminiscent of similar outbreaks amongst pinniped and cetacean species in recent years, which were caused by an infection with newly discovered morbilliviruses (for review see osterhaus et al.).