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| Monachus monachus (Herrmann, 1779), picture from marinebio.org |
The Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus (Herrmann, 1779), sometimes appearing also around Malta (Lanfranco, 1969), is one of the species cited as being 'close to extinction' by the EU environment commissioner Janez Potocnik. About 400 individuals are left around the Mediterranean and many factors heavily influence the decline of the population, including viral diseases, though most threats are anthropogenic.
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| The Mediterranean Monk Seal on a 2004 stamp from Maltapost |
References:
Lanfranco, G. G., 1969. Maltese Mammals (Central Mediterranean). Progress Press: Malta.
MarineBio, undated. Monachus monachus, Mediterranean Monk Seal. [www document, url=http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=343, last accessed 17.V.2011]
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