Monk seals are
earless seals of the
genera Monachus and
Neomonachus . They are the only earless seals found in tropical climates. There are three species of monk seal: the
Mediterranean monk seal,
Monachus monachus; the
Hawaiian monk seal,
Neomonachus schauinslandi; and the
Caribbean monk seal,
Neomonachus tropicalis, which went extinct in the 20th century. The two surviving species are now extremely rare and in imminent danger of extinction.