A new extralimital sighting of Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779) in the Aquatina di Frigole NATURA 2000 site (IT9150003) beach (Salento peninsula, Apulia Region, Italy) after two decades: strategies for conservation are needed

Abstract

The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779) is the most endangered pinniped in the world. In addition, its presence has not been documented for about two decades in the Apulian Region and about 10 years along the Italian coastline. In this work, we aim to describe an exceptional and well-documented observation of a subadult specimen of Monachus monachus occurring during the last days of January 2020 in the Salento peninsula (Apulia Region, Italy) for the first time after two decades of local extinction in the south-western Adriatic Sea.

Keywords

• Mediterranean monk seal
• <i>Monachus monachus</i>