Most monk seal births occur during spring and summer; however, births have been documented during every month of the year.
Many mother seals can give birth every year, but some of them are not. The youngest female to delivered a pup was 4 years old; however, most females are older when they give birth to first pup. Female monk seals become sexually mature at about four to seven years old. It is not known at what age males bredding, but they typically reach adult size by 4 to 5 years old. The gestation period is estimated to be 11 months, but it has not been confirmed.
Kaiwi, RK96 (female, a mother of two pups) 7 years old and Kolohe, RW22 (male) 11 years old. Photo taken on May 5, 2019
In the weeks prior to giving birth, a pregnant seal stock food for blubber and milk, which will sustain her and her pup throughout the nursing period, about 5 to 6 weeks. She becomes extremely obese and many weigh over six hundred pounds. During the nursing period, the mother seal stays by her pup’s side constantly, she will not leave her pup alone in that period to protect her pup.
Kaiwi, RK96 was relaxing on the beach a few days before gave birth to her pup, Wawamalu, RK24 on April 23, 2018.
Finding a suitable birth site is her next priority, many mother seals are going back to her birth beach and gives birth her pup. Ideally it will be somewhere close to shallow, protected waters.
When she found the birth site she will haul out and settle there for a few days before giving birth.
The actual birth process is normally taking one to ten minutes from the time the pup’s head appears till parturition is complete. Once the pup hits the ground, it tears out of its embryonic sack and takes its first breath of air.
Mother and pup soon call to one another: mother with a deep bellowing “bwaaah” and pup with a high nasal “bwaaap!” The pup finds its mother’s four teats and starts suckles.
Honey Girl, R5AY and her 11th pup, Keolakai, RK80 (a few days old) on April 15, 2018.
Reference: The Hawaiian Monk Seal by Patrick ching
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