The Croatian portion of the Adriatic Sea (31,757 km 2 and 6,278 km of shore line) cur-rently does not host a Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) population. Historically, the species was distributed throughout the Adriatic Sea but was considered extinct in this region in the second half of the 20th century. Still, occa-sional sightings suggest the presence of individual monk seals in this area. In this paper, we review the status of monk seals in the Croatian portion of the Adriatic Sea since 1984 and, more specifically, over the last 5 y since the last published report (Đuras Gomerčić et al., 2005). A team from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Zagreb has been monitor-ing for the presence of the Mediterranean monk seal in our study area (the Croatian portion of the Adriatic Sea) since 1984 (Gomerčić & Huber, 1984; Gomerčić et al., 1984, 2006a; Antica et al., 1994; Antica, 1999; Đuras Gomerčić et al., 2005). During the same period, this team has led various projects on marine mammals of the Adriatic Sea that includes monitoring all confirmed/present cetacean and pinniped species, with an empha-sis on mortality and causes of death (Gomerčić et al., 1998, 2000, 2006b; Šeol et al., 2006; Đuras Gomerčić et al., 2009). Related specifically to monk seals, in addition to status surveys, details have been published on craniometric characteris-tics (Gomerčić & Huber, 1987, 1989; Gomerčić et al., 2009), on options for semi-captive breeding (Gomerčić et al., 1997), and on sex determination by polymerase chain reaction from museum skull tissues (Cafuk et al., 2009). Since 1984, information folders have been printed and distributed to local inhabitants and to tourists (mostly to yacht owners) with appeals for reporting all relevant events related to monk seal sightings. Public awareness grew over time, and a network of local contacts (mostly harbor masters, fishermen, and nature protection state agencies) was established. That was believed to afford documentation of sightings that allowed records to become increasingly more complete. Recently, the media are also assisting in the coverage of monk seal sighting details. All collected informa-tion on the presence of Mediterranean monk seals in the region was classified into the following five categories: We considered information from the first three categories as unequivocal evidence of the pres-ence of the species in the area. To validate the fourth category, the arguments that we considered during the interview were the description of the animal's physical appearance and behavior, and all details about the observer and his or her activi-ties. Information from this category that failed to be convincing was eliminated, while the accepted sightings were considered as valid. We assume that we avoided any bias because the possible error was equally likely in both directions (i.e., that we accepted false sightings or rejected true ones). Information from the fifth category was used only as a guide for further enquiries, but it was not considered a valid sighting and was not included in this review. In 2005, we reported on 17 confirmed sight-ings of monk seals from 2004 and 2005 (Đuras Gomerčić et al., 2005). From 1 August 2005 to 31 July 2010, a total of 31 new sightings of