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Io non posso partecipare all’evento, ma ho scelto lo stesso. Sono la foca monaca:




In ancient Greece, monk seals were placed under the protection of Poseidon and Apollo because they showed a great love for sea and sun. One of the first coins, minted around 500 BC, depicted the head of a monk seal, and the creatures were immortalized in the writings of Homer, Plutarch and Aristotle. To fishermen and seafarers, catching sight of the animals frolicking in the waves or loafing on the beaches was considered to be an omen of good fortune.
Historically, humans hunted seals for the basic necessities of their own survival - fur, oil, meat, medicines - but did not kill them in large enough numbers to endanger their existence as a species.

Because of their trusting nature they were easy prey for hunters and fishers using clubs, spears and nets. The pelts were used to make tents and were said to give protection against Nature’s more hostile elements, especially lightning. The skins were also made into shoes and clothing, and the fat used for oil lamps and tallow candles. Because the animal was known to sleep so soundly, the right flipper of a seal, placed under the pillow, was thought to cure insomnia.

Evidence suggests that the species was severely depleted during the Roman era. Following the fall of the empire, a reduction in demand may have allowed the monk seal to stage a temporary recovery, but not to earlier population levels. Commercial exploitation peaked again in certain areas during the Middle Ages, effectively wiping out the largest surviving colonies. Increasingly, survivors no longer congregated on open beaches and headlong rocks, but sought refuge along inaccessible cliff-bound coasts and in caves (often with underwater entrances). The massive disruption of two world wars, the industrial revolution, a boom in tourism and the onset of factory fishing all contributed to the Mediterranean monk seal’s decline - William M Johnson.