Coin Greece 5 Euros 2024 BU Color - Mediterranean monk seal

5 euros Colour Greece 2024

Theme : Mediterranean monk seal 

 Quality: BU (Universal Gloss).
 Print run: 3,000 copies.
 Silver 333 ? - 17 g - Ø 31 mm.

The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus, whose existence is attested as early as Homer's Odyssey, is Europe's most endangered marine mammal and the rarest of the world's 33 seal species. It is estimated that there are around 800 surviving seals, half of which live and breed in Greece. They can swim long distances in a matter of weeks or months and dive to depths of up to 200 metres in search of food. Their diet consists of fish and, in particular, octopus, of which they are very fond.

When giving birth and nursing, the females seek out inaccessible sea caves. As an adult female gives birth to just one pup a year, protecting the monk seal's habitats and pupping sites is crucial to the survival of the species. The Mediterranean monk seal is mainly threatened by human activity (fishing, shipping, marine pollution).