Creature
Fast Facts
Introducing you to extinct species.

THE CARIBBEAN

MONK SEAL NASAL MITE

1. With the extinction of the Caribbean monk seal in 1952, the Caribbean monk seal nasal mite also went extinct. 2. This little mite lived in the nasal passage (the nose) of the Caribbean monk seal. 3. The only specimens of this mite were recovered from a single seal. 4. The Caribbean Monk Seal Nasal Mite was so specialized that it could only live in the nose of this particular species of seal. 5. When the Caribbean monk seals started disappearing, so did the needed "habitat" for this mite. 6. Mites are related to ticks. There are over 48,200 different species of mites including the dust mite which live in carpets of our homes and affect many allergy sufferers. 7. Many mite species eat decaying matter that creates new soil. 8. Some species, like their cousins the ticks, feed on blood, and many are specialized to a specific species of animal, like those found on honey bees.

Extinction
Cometh
Facing the light at the end of the tunnel

EXTINCTION DATE

1952

The Caribbean monk seal nasal mite once thrived in the vast colonies of seals living in the Caribbean. Columbus was the first European to describe these 'sea wolves', but he never mentioned these microscopic parasites. These nasal mites were so specialized that they were only ever observed in a single seal. Once the Caribbean monk seal went extinct in 1952, so did the Caribbean monk seal nasal mite. Its extinction shows the interconnectedness of many species. Because there are no museum specimens of the Caribbean monk seal nasal mite, its de-extinction possibilities are bleak.

Lazarus
Tales
Short stories of return

Click Scroll for Lazarus Return 'Rules'

NEW STORY

A vacation back to my old home might just hit the spot. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the splendors of paradise. I just want to go back and spread my wings, I mean flippers. It’ll be nice to spend some time on the warm sand, basking in the sun, feeling the cool breeze hit my face as I leap out of the crystal blue seas. It’ll be nice being back in my warm snot cocoon at a consistent 98.24℉ (That’s how warm seal snot is. Look it up.) Who am I? I am the Caribbean monk seal. The only member of the seal family to once dwell in the warm, wonderful Caribbean Sea. My kind even met Christopher Columbus on his first ocean crossing to the “New World”. It wasn’t new. It had always been there, but once old Columbus settled down, life in the Caribbean would never be the same. Don’t forget me. Who am I? I am the one who never got much respect. I am the Caribbean monk seal nasal mite. The guy who lived in this seal’s nose. Columbus never took notice of me. In fact, I only was ever noticed by one scientist, but that was about to change.