MONK SEAL Definition & Meaning

monk seal

noun

a small, dark brown, subtropical seal of the genus Monachus: the three species, M. tropicalis of the Caribbean, M. schauinslandi of Hawaiian island regions, and M. monachus of the Mediterranean, are endangered.

Discover More

�y��vlog History and Origins

1835–45; apparently translation of the NL genus name Monachus ( monk ), originally a specific name ( Phoca monacha ), probably in allusion to the animal's gray coloration and isolated breeding sites; compare French moine, Italian monaco the monk seal, literally, monk

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Researchers in the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program study and protect Hawaiian monk seals.

From

Over the summer, researchers spotted a young monk seal with a spotted eel hanging out of its nose.

From

When a research group posted a picture of a young monk seal on the Internet, the picture, and the seal, soon became big news.

From

It wasn’t all about humanity, either; animals played starring roles as well, from unemployed elephants in Thailand to sun bears in an Indonesian rain forest; from the scent of foxes in England to the welcome distraction of a monk seal on an Israeli beach.

From

Catholicism was important to her family in her native American Samoa, Watanuki recalled as she spoke to The Associated Press journalists she invited to her home after Mass. As a Hawaiian monk seal rested at low tide just yards away, Watanuki explained that she didn’t learn about Damien and Marianne until moving to Kalaupapa.

From

Browse