Mediterranean Seal
The Mediterranean Seal is a sea mammal belongs to Pinnipedia sub-species. It is from the real seal family in the group of Pinnipedias. It is a real-seal type under the family of Monch Seals living only in the coasts of the East Mediterranean the West Africa . The Caribbean Monch Seal, one of 34 seal species, was latest seen in the year 1952 and faced extinction thereafter. Now there remains 33 piinipedia species in the world.
the Mediterranean Seals had lived freely with a population of one thousands until the beginning of the 20 th century through all coasts of the Mediterranean and North Atlantic from Portugal to Senegal, located at the coast of the West Africa. However the dispersion of species dwindled all over the world and its population decreased steeply due to poaching, lessening living spaces and violation of sea eco- system. The Mediterranean seal today lives only in Greece , Turkey , Morocco , Mauritania and Madeira and its estimated population ranges from 450 to 550. The Mediterranean seals living on the coasts of Mauritania constitute a perfect example of a real seal colony whereas the majority is forced to survive individually as a result of the human danger.
The Mediterranean seals live in two separate regions in world:
1. Atlantic Population ( Mauritania coasts, Madeira Islands and Morocco )
2. Mediterranean Population ( Greece , Turkey , the West Mediterranean)
The population is very dense in Aegean Sea . Therefore the survival of the Mediterranean Seal in the ecosystem is up to the attitudes of two countries, which are Greece and Turkey . Thus Turkey has a key role in protection of the Mediterranean seals, which is a world heritage.
31 to 44 types of Mediterranean seals have been identified by individual identification method with the help of the scientific researches carried out in Turkey . Therefore it is estimated that there are less than 100 seals living in the coasts of Turkey . This number has an important place considering the world's seal population, which is between 450-550 . The dispersion of the Mediterranean seals over the coasts intensify in specific regions rather than an equal scale. Seals In Turkish Coasts
Mediterranean seals fight to survive in the below stated regions:
1. Marmara Sea, Islands of Maramara, Islands of Mola and the North coasts of the Biga Peninsula,,
2. The Aegean Sea, the region between Gelibolu Peninsula, the Aegean coasts and Behramkale, and the region between Yeni Foça and Datça.
3. the Mediterranean Sea , the region between Datça and Kemer, the region between Alanya and Tasucu, and the coasts between Hatay, Samandağ and the Syrian border.
Depending on the protection of the specie, it is possible to observe new births and reproduction as well as deaths.
Mediterranean seal prefers remote and quite stony coasts as living spaces, which have caves and cavities to inhabit and reproduce that, are not inhabited and away from human reach and is directly affected by the violation of these living spaces. On the other hand it is not derived from this data that the Mediterranean seals do not inhabit different coasts such as beaches or where there are human settlements. It is known that Mediterranean seals expand their living spaces from remote coasts to sandy coasts and river deltas especially for survival purposes.
However the primary living space of Mediterranean seals is remote and unsettled stony coasts. It cannot survive in narrow living spaces since it is a relatively big sea mammal. Mediterranean seal can only survive in properly wide coastal areas vital to reproduce safely.
The Reasons of Extinction
One can wait months to see a Mediterranean seal, which was seen, and even reproduced in Bosphorus in 1950s. It is tragic to witness the extinction of Mediterranean seals occurred during one lifetime of a human.
The predators of other seal species in world have been the other sea animals, such as killer whales, leopard seals, sharks, polar bears and even jackals.
Then who is the enemy of the Mediterranean seals living in our seas? Unfortunately it is not the nature, which destroys this rare specie, it is human beings. The hunger of the human beings is destroying the Mediterranean seals and the precious coastal areas .
The ambitious activities of human beings to profit by destroying the nature are the first ones that come to mind. Constructing new roads on the virgin coasts, urbanization, opening remote and virgin coasts to tourism, and the pollution that proceed the above stated factors and the illegal hunting (the seals were hunted for their fats and leathers) such as troll trata. Unfortunately the legal measures taken are away from preventing the brutal hunting going on for years on the coasts of our country.
