The gender of Rocky the Hawaiian monk seal’s new pup, PO8, has been revealed — it’s a boy!
Monk seal experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that based on observations of the new pup’s belly, they believe that PO8 is a boy. Volunteers from the nonprofit Hawaii Marine Animal Response posted the news to Instagram on Tuesday, saying that photos from some great photographers helped to confirm this.
NOAA said this is Rocky’s 14th pup, and sixth male pup.
Rocky, also known as RH58, surprised wildlife officials by returning to Kaimana Beach in Waikiki to give birth to her pup there on Saturday.
Almost all of her offspring were born on Kauai — where Rocky herself was born — until the summer of 2017, when she famously gave birth to a pup — now named Kaimana — at Kaimana Beach.
After weaning, officials relocated Kaimana to a more remote beach to reduce interaction with humans and to keep her safe. At the time, Kaimana kept swimming into the dilapidated Natatorium pool.
NOAA reminds the public to give Rocky and her new male pup plenty of space and to avoid disturbing them, and to ensure that she remains with him so he can continue nursing and developing properly.
The pair is expected to remain at Kaimana Beach for about five to seven weeks.
The public should give monk seal mom-and-pup pairs at least 150 feet of space both on land and in the water, and to stay behind any fencing or signs, plus heed instructions of officials on site.
In addition to staying behind any fencing or signs, the public should heed the instructions of officials on site. Volunteers from HMAR are on site to help educate the public about the endangered monk seals, and to monitor Rocky and her pup.
“Mother seals can be very protective of their young and are more likely to exhibit territorial behavior with a pup,” NOAA said.
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