生长繁殖 Growth and Breed 人们对于加勒比僧海豹的繁殖行为及寿命所知甚少。从在尤卡坦州被杀的雌海豹中发现了发育良好的胎儿,故推断幼海豹可能是于12月初出生在墨西哥,繁殖季节在12月初达到高峰。和其他僧海豹一样,这个物种有四个可伸缩的乳头,用于幼崽吸吮。新生幼崽大概有1米长,重16-18公斤,据说出生时有一身光滑的黑色胎毛,据信这种动物的平均寿命约为20年。
地理分布 Distribution 加勒比僧海豹分布在加勒比海西北至墨西哥湾东部和西大西洋的暖温带、亚热带和热带水域。它们可能更喜欢在涨潮时在孤立和僻静的环礁和岛屿上的低沙滩上,但偶尔也会到大陆海岸和近海较深的水域。包括巴哈马群岛、大安的列斯群岛和小安的列斯群岛,以及尤卡坦半岛和沿中美洲和南美洲海岸向东南方直至圭亚那。最北端的外缘记录来自美国东南部的乔治亚州。加勒比僧海豹原先被认为有起码13-14个栖息地分布在整个加勒比地区。
加勒比僧海豹的英文介绍 Introduction The Caribbean monk seal, West Indian seal or sea wolf (Neomonachus tropicalis) was a species of seal native to the Caribbean, and is now believed to be extinct. The Caribbean monk seals' main predators were sharks and humans. Overhunting of the seals for oil, and overfishing of their food sources, are the established reasons for the seals' extinction.The last confirmed sighting of the Caribbean monk seal was in 1952 at Serranilla Bank, between Jamaica and Nicaragua.In 2008, the species was officially declared extinct by the United States, after an exhaustive search for the seals that lasted for about five years. 在神秘的大自然面前,我们无知的像个孩子......