1.5 Euro Spain 2022 Endangered Species – Monk Seal

There are only 2 living species of monk seal, the Mediterranean monk seal and the Hawaiian monk seal, both of which are endangered. A third species, the Caribbean monk seal, is now extinct. The Hawaiian monk seal is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the only non-migratory phocid species, living year round in tropical waters from which it obtains all of its food. In the 19th century they were hunted for their skin, fat and meat; they were under such intense pressure that by the middle of the century they were considered extinct, but were able to survive on beaches less accessible to humans. Today, the fishing nets they are caught in, disease, predation by sharks, habitat modification, or chemicals derived from fishing continue to decimate their populations, reducing them to small-area colonies and protected reserves on some of Hawaii’s islands.

The coins of Spain were issued in a special design with enameling on the obverse, which ensures greater realism of the image.

The obverse of the Spanish 1.5 euro coin depicts a Monk Seal.

The reverse (common to all coins) depicts a floral ornament and animal tracks, the denomination and the inscription ANIMALES EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN (Endangered Animals).

Alloy: copper-nickel

Denomination: 1.5 euro

Weight: 15 grams

Diameter: 33mm

Quality: UNC

Circulation: 5000 pcs

The coin was released in Spain’s 2022 collection “Endangered Species”

The collection includes 16 coins:

African elephant

Giant otter

Iberian lynx

Giant lizard of La Gomera

Monk seal

Philippine eagle

Ring-tailed lemur

Bengal tiger

Blue iguana

Cantabrian brown bear

European mink

Gorilla

Irrawaddy Dolphin

Javan rhinoceros

Okapi

Orangutan