THE HABITAT OF THE ENDANGERED MEDITERRANEAN MONK SEAL (MONACHUS MONACHUS) IN THE ARCHIPELAGO OF MADEIRA

The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is considered to be critically endangered and survives in small scattered and isolated subpopulations (Aguilar, 1999). When on land, Mediterranean monk seals frequent sea caves for resting and rearing of the pups. Circumstantial evidence indicates that monk seals use caves for resting that protect them from wind and wave action (Neves & Pires, 1999; Karamanlidis, 2000) as well as human disturbanc