Another marine mammal goes under

Last fall I was saddened to learn that the Yangtze River dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) is probably extinct. Today it was announced that the Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis), last seen in the 1950's, is most likely extinct as well. The Endangered Species Protection Act came too late for these marine mammals (the last sighting was in 1952 and the seals were listed as endangered in 1967), and it is possible that they were entirely extinct before they even received protected status.

The two extant species of monk seal, the Hawaiian (Monachus schauinslandi) and Mediterranean (Monachus monachus), are critically threatened.