Caribbean Monk Seal

Le Phoque tropical ou phoque moine des Caraïbes (Monachus tropicalis) est un phoque moine (genre Monachus) disparu depuis 1950. Cette espèce a été classée sur sa liste rouge des espèces éteintes, en 1994, par l'UICN (Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature). La NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) l'a classée comme disparue en 2008, après cinq années de recherches infructueuses.

The Caribbean monk seal (Neomonachus tropicalis), also known as the West Indian seal or sea wolf, is an extinct species of seal native to the Caribbean. The main natural predators of Caribbean monk seals were American crocodiles, large sharks, such as great whites and tiger sharks, and possibly transient orcas (though killer whales are not often sighted in the Caribbean); however, humans would become their most lethal enemy. Overhunting of the monk seals for oil and meat, as well as overfishing of their natural prey, are the likely reasons for the seals' extinction.

La foca monje del Caribe o foca fraile caribeña (Neomonachus tropicalis) es una especie extinta de mamífero pinnípedo de la familia de los fócidos. Propia del mar Caribe, probablemente se extinguió en el siglo XX. Era la única foca que habitaba en aguas netamente tropicales, y el único pinnípedo del mar Caribe.