Excerpt: These seals are generalist feeders, meaning they eat all sorts of prey, including sea cucumbers, eel, octopus, lobster, and various reef fish. Seals have never been observed hunting pelagic fish, such as mahi-mahi, ahi, aku, etc. Monk seals can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes and dive to depths of more than 1,800 feet [1]. When searching for food they often flip rocks with their noses to find more cryptic prey [2]. Sometimes sharks and large predator fish follow the seals around and snatch up fish that seals spook into the open [3]. Monk seals spend about one-third of their time resting on land, preferring sandy beaches, tidepools, or rocky intertidal areas to rest away from the crashing surf.
Excerpt: Although they are now protected by federal and state laws, current drivers of this decline are not certain; however, the most likely culprit is inadequate prey availability
DIVISION OF AQUATIC RESOURCES HAWAII : ENDANGERED MONK SEAL
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