Revealing the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus)'s Cave Preference in Gokova Bay on the Southwest Coast of Turkiye

The first cave-monitoring studies to be carried out on the southwest (SW) coast of Turkiye on endangered Mediterranean monk seals using camera traps occurred between 2017 and 2021 in five marine caves within Gokova Bay. The visual data obtained from the monitoring studies were evaluated to reveal the Mediterranean monk seals' seasonal and diel cave use and identify the individual seals who were using the caves. Moreover, the necessary features and measurements of the identified caves were recorded to determine whether there were any correlations between the determined variables and monthly cave use by the monk seals. The results showed that cave use occurred mainly nocturnally, with the seals showing a diurnal activity pattern in the area. We evaluated 108,280 images/videos in total and identified 18 individuals using five caves in Gokova Bay. Three of these caves provided suitable characteristics for pupping, and two of them were used for pupping. A beta regression model revealed that the monthly cave use ratios varied seasonally, with more use in the fall season. Furthermore, the trends in annual cave use ratios, seasonality, wind speed, size of the wet area, luminance, number of cave-entry paths, and human activity were the best variables with which we could forecast the cave preferences of the seals.

Automated summary

The first cave-monitoring studies conducted on Mediterranean monk seals in Gokova Bay on the southwest coast of Turkiye used camera traps in five marine caves between 2017 and 2021. The visual data obtained from these studies revealed the seasonal and diel cave use of the seals and identified the individual seals using the caves. The characteristics of the identified caves were recorded to examine correlations with monthly cave use by the monk seals, and various variables were analyzed to forecast the seals' cave preferences.