What it is
The Caribbean monk seal was a tropical earless seal of beaches, cays, and reefs. IUCN lists it as Extinct. It is a different species from the surviving Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals.
Range
The Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, including the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, Yucatán, and the Florida Keys.
What happened
From the seventeenth century onward, hunters rendered seals for oil. Later, fishers killed remaining animals as competitors. The last confirmed sighting was in 1952 at Serranilla Bank. NOAA concluded the species was extinct in 2008; IUCN assessed it as Extinct in 2013. Searches found no breeding population.
When / status
Extinct. Last confirmed sighting 1952; formal extinction listings 2008 (NOAA) and 2013 (IUCN).
Human role
Oil hunting and later killing around fishing camps — a human-caused extinction in historical time.
Sources
IUCN Red List (Neomonachus tropicalis, EX, 2013); NOAA extinction finding, 2008.