(ee-lee-o holo ee ka ooa-ooa) “monk seal”

Although fewer than 1500 Hawaiian Monk Seals exist today, it’s fairly common to see them basking in the sun along Kamala Point and Mahaulepu Beach where they haul out on beaches to rest after a night of foraging for food in the ocean. The seals can dive to a depth of 500 feet and remain underwater for up to twenty minutes. They are brownish in color and found primarily on the southwestern sides of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii state law prohibits disturbing a Hawaiian Monk Seal or approaching within 100 feet.