In Madeira Archipelago’s waters it has been observed, frequently or occasionally, 21 species of sea mammals. 20 of these belong to the Cetacea order, which are whales and dolphins, and 1 to the Carnivora order, the Monk seal.

Photo by: Claudia Gomes

The Cetacea order is divided into two suborders, Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales, which includes dolphins and porpoises). The big whales that belong to the Mysticeti suborder stay temporarily in Madeira sea while migrating from the tropical and sub-tropical waters to the cold and freezing Artic waters. These are very large animals with adults reaching 30 meters long and 160 tons of weight.

Photo by: Claudia Gomes

The species belonging to the Odontoceti suborder are mainly dolphins and sperm whales, which use the sea of Madeira Archipelago as passage point, as feeding or reproduction area or, possibly for some species, as a permanent residence habitat. This is a diversified group with smaller animals which range from the common dolphin with about 2 meters long and 80 kg to the sperm whale that can measure up to 18 meters long and weight around 70 tons.
The monk seal is the only species in Madeira that belongs to the Carnivora order, Pinnipedia suborder, where species are not exclusively aquatic.

Photo by: Claudia Gomes

Their life is divided between the sea, where they look for food, socialize and mate with each other and land, where they rest and take care of its chicks during their first months of life. The Madeira monk seal colony is small and is usually seen near the coastal area around Desertas Islands.