Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 133, January 2016, pp. 1-29. | Page 18

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Pliny the elder, ancient Rome‟s renowned scholar of natural history, knew the
animals as sea-calves and remarked that they „could be taught to salute the
public with their voice, and when called by name to reply with a harsh roar.‟
Rather more mystically, he added that at night „their eyes change frequently into
a thousand colours‟ (Johnson, 1988; Khalaf-von Jaffa, 2009, 2013).
But it was not until 1779 that the German naturalist Johann Hermann officially
christened the species Monachus. The choice may have been inspired by
Hermann‟s belief in the animal‟s innate reclusiveness following his discovery of
a lone seal on the Dalmatian coast. On the other hand, some naturalists believe
that Hermann merely adopted a traditional name for the seal from certain local
fishing communities on the shores of the Mediterranean which knew the creature
as „monk‟ because of the colour of its fur. Indeed, many centuries earlier, Pliny
too thought that the rows of seals he observed stretched out on the sands bore a
striking resemblance to a congregation of hooded humans. Sometimes, the
darker fur around the head of the seal lends weight to this impression (Johnson,
1988; Khalaf-von Jaffa, 2009, 2013).

The taxidermied Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus, Hermann 1779) at the
Paulus-Haus Museum – Deutscher Verein vom Heiligen Lande in Al-Quds (Jerusalem),
Occupied Palestine. Photo: Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Khalaf-von
Jaffa. 23.07.2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/15403844552/

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 133 – January 2016