Acuario Nacional de Cuba, Ave.1ra y Calle 60, Miramar, Playa, La Habana.
Conserv Biol. 2013 Oct;27(5):927-35. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12107. Epub 2013 Jul 21.
The recent extinction of the Caribbean monk seal Monachus tropicalis has been considered an example of a human-caused extinction in the marine environment, and this species was considered a driver of the changes that have occurred in the structure of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems since colonial times. I searched archaeological records, historical data, and geographic names (used as a proxy of the presence of seals) and evaluated the use and quality of these data to conclude that since prehistoric times the Caribbean monk seal was always rare and vulnerable to human predation. This finding supports the hypothesis that in AD 1500, the Caribbean monk seal persisted as a small fragmented population in which individuals were confined to small keys, banks, or isolated islands in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. This hypothesis is contrary to the assumption that the species was widespread and abundant historically. The theory that the main driver of monk seal extinction was harvesting for its oil for use in the sugar cane industry of Jamaica during the 18th century is based primarily on anecdotal information and is overemphasized in the literature. An analysis of reported human encounters with this species indicates monk seal harvest was an occasional activity, rather than an ongoing enterprise. Nevertheless, given the rarity of this species and its restricted distribution, even small levels of hunting or specimen collecting must have contributed to its extinction, which was confirmed in the mid-20th century. Some sources had been overlooked or only partially reviewed, others misinterpreted, and a considerable amount of anecdotal information had been uncritically used. Critical examination of archaeological and historical records is required to infer accurate estimations of the historical abundance of a species. In reconstructing the past to address the shifting baseline syndrome, it is important to avoid selecting evidence to confirm modern prejudices.
加勒比僧海豹（Monachus tropicalis）的近期灭绝被认为是海洋环境中人类导致灭绝的一个例子，该物种被认为是自殖民时代以来加勒比珊瑚礁生态系统结构发生变化的驱动因素之一。我搜索了考古记录、历史数据和地理名称（用作海豹存在的代理），并评估了这些数据的使用和质量，得出结论，自史前时代以来，加勒比僧海豹一直数量稀少，容易受到人类捕食。这一发现支持了这样一种假设，即在公元 1500 年，加勒比僧海豹作为一个小而脆弱的种群幸存下来，个体局限于墨西哥湾和加勒比海的小岛屿、暗礁或孤立岛屿上。这一假设与该物种历史上分布广泛且丰富的假设相悖。认为僧海豹灭绝的主要原因是 18 世纪为了满足牙买加制糖业对其油的需求而进行捕杀的理论主要基于传闻证据，在文献中被过分强调。对该物种的人类遭遇报告的分析表明，僧海豹的捕杀是偶发活动，而不是持续进行的活动。尽管如此，鉴于该物种的稀有性及其有限的分布，即使是小规模的捕猎或标本采集也必须对其灭绝产生了影响，这一事实在 20 世纪中叶得到了证实。有些来源被忽视或仅部分审查，有些被误解，大量传闻证据未经批判性使用。为了推断物种的历史丰富度，需要对考古和历史记录进行批判性审查。在重建过去以解决基线转移综合征时，重要的是避免选择证据来证实现代偏见。
