Cutting through the azure waves in the Ionian Sea, a team of Albanian marine biologists scan the coastline before descending on a hidden cave, with the hopes of finding the endangered monk seal. Once abundant, the monk seals of the Mediterranean now only number in the hundreds, making the animal one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world. "Climate change directly or indirectly affects endangered species" explains biologist, Laureta Sadikllari, "the Mediterranean monk seal is one of the species affected by these changes and by global warming." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES