North Cyprus has become host to the world’s rarest species of seal, it was discovered.
The Mediterranean monk seal is classified as “endangered,” with a total population of about 700.
At least three seal pups were born from 2016-19 in caves in North Cyprus. The discovery was confirmed in a new study launched by the University of Exeter and the Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT), using camera-traps.
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae.
As of 2015, it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Aegean Sea, the archipelago of Madeira and the Cabo Blanco area in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is believed to be the world’s rarest pinniped species. (Wikipedia)
