The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is one of the most endangered</p><p>marine mammals, with only 600-700 individuals restricted to three populations off the</p><p>coast of Western Sahara and Madeira (North Atlantic), and between Greece and</p><p>Turkey (eastern Mediterranean). Its original range from the Black Sea (eastern</p><p>Mediterranean) to Gambia (western African coast) was drastically reduced by</p><p>commercial hunting and human persecution since the early stage of marine</p><p>exploitation. Here we add to the scarce genetic information on the species and for</p><p>the first time combine mitogenomic data on historical and modern monk seals to trace</p><p>the population history and to evaluate the level of genetic variation of this endangered</p><p>pinniped in the last two centuries.