Mediterranean monk seals (MMS) are among the most endangered marine mammals on Earth. We screened mitochondrial variability (control region [CR1] and mitogenomes) of the species through a 180‐yr timeframe and extended by 20% ( n = 205) the number of samples from a previous investigation, including historical specimens from 1833 to 1975. Although we detected two new, rare CR1 haplotypes, genetic diversity remained extremely low...

A bstract Photoperiod variations are the principal environmental signals entraining circannual activity in mammals, which is also believed to be influenced by changes in temperature and nutrition. Control of the molt in phocids has not been extensively studied with experimental manipulations of environmental factors, but substantial work indicates that photoperiod has a primary influence on mammalian breeding and furring mecha...