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Endemic Animals of Hawaii

Hawaiian Hawk

The Hawaiian hawk or ʻio (Buteo solitarius ) is a raptor in the genus Buteo endemic to Hawaiʻi, currently restricted to the Big Island. The ʻio is one of two birds of prey that is native to Hawaiʻi, the other being the Pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl) and fossil evidence indicates that it inhabited the island of Hawaiʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui and Kauaʻi at one time. Today, it is known to breed only on the Big Island, in stands of native ʻōhiʻa lehua (Met ...
rosideros polymorpha ) trees. The species was protected as an endangered species in the United States, but was delisted in 2020. However, the IUCN classifies the species as Near Threatened.

Hawaiian Hawk

Hawaiian Monk Seal

The Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) is an endangered species of earless seal native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is one of two extant monk seal species; the other is the Mediterranean monk seal. A third species, the Caribbean monk seal, is extinct. The Hawaiian monk seal is the only seal native to Hawaii.

Hawaiian Monk Seal

Pueo

The pueo (Asio flammeus sandwichensis ) is a subspecies of the short-eared owl and is endemic to Hawaii. The pueo is one of the more famous of the various physical forms assumed by ʻaumākua (ancestor spirits) in Hawaiian culture.Pueo inhabit forests and grasslands throughout the islands of Hawaiʻi, although their numbers seem to be declining, particularly in the last two decades, and especially on the island of Oʻahu, upon which they were at one tim ...
e numerous. Pueo is listed by the state of Hawaiʻi as an endangered species on the island of Oʻahu.

Pueo

Spanish dancer

The Spanish dancer, scientific name Hexabranchus sanguineus (literally meaning "blood-colored six-gills"), is a dorid nudibranch, a very large and colorful sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Hexabranchidae.

Spanish dancer

Hawaiian stilt

The Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni ) is an endangered Hawaiian subspecies of the black-necked stilt (H. mexicanus ) species. It is a long-legged, slender shorebird with a long, thin beak. Other common names include the Hawaiian black-necked stilt, the aeʻo (from a Hawaiian name for the bird and word for stilts), the kukuluaeʻo (a Hawaiian name for the bird and word for “one standing high”), or it may be referred to as the Hawaiian subsp ...
ecies of the black-necked stilt.

Hawaiian stilt

Hawaiian gallinule

The Hawaiian gallinule (Gallinula galeata sandvicensis ) is an endangered chicken-sized water bird in the rail family. It is also variously known as the Hawaiian common gallinule, Hawaiian moorhen, Hawaiian common moorhen, mudhen, or `alae `ula (“burnt forehead” - for its prominent red frontal shield) in Hawaiian, and sometimes misleadingly as the Hawaiian red coot. It is a subspecies of the common gallinule that is endemic to the tropical Haw ...
aiian Islands of the north-central Pacific Ocean.It is dependent on freshwater wetland habitats with dense emergent vegetation for nesting. Once found on most of the main islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, it has undergone a major population and range decline and is now a resident breeder only on Kaua'i and O'ahu. Causes of the decline were mainly loss of habitat, hunting and predation by introduced animals, with numbers subsequently stabilised at a low level through legal protection and conservation management. Despite being hunted for food, it was mythologised as the keeper of fire in Hawaiian religion.

Hawaiian gallinule

Highland finch

The highland finch (Orthiospiza howarthi ) is an extinct member of the Fringillidae and a Hawaiian honeycreeper which is known only from a few bones found in caves. It is the only member of the genus Orthiospiza. It was endemic to the high-elevation areas (above 1000 m) of Mount Haleakalā on the Hawaiian island of Maui. It has been speculated that they were pushed to extinction because of habitat loss. It is known only from fossil remains and ...
likely became extinct before the first Europeans arrived in 1778.

Highland finch

Hawaiʻi creeper

The Hawaiʻi creeper, Hawaii creeper or ʻalawī (Loxops mana ) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Its natural habitats are dry forests and montane moist forests at elevations of 1,000–2,300 metres (3,300–7,500 ft). There are a total of 12,000 birds separated into three populations. A fourth population on the western part of the island probably represents migratory birds from one of the existing population. The Hawa ...
iʻi creeper measures 4.5 inches (11 cm) and has drab green plumage. In 2017 the traditional Hawaiian name was rediscovered as 'alawi'.

Hawaiʻi creeper

High-billed crow

The high-billed crow or deep-billed crow (Corvus impluviatus ) was a species of large, raven-sized crow that was endemic to the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. It was pushed to extinction due to the arrival of people and pests like rats.

High-billed crow

Kauaʻi finch

The Kauai finch (Telespiza persecutrix ) is an extinct bird in the genus Telespiza of the family Fringillidae. It was endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Oahu. It is only known from fossil remains and likely became extinct before the first Europeans visited Hawaii in 1778.

Kauaʻi finch

Maui Nui finch

The Maui Nui finch (Telespiza ypsilon ) is an extinct member of the genus Telespiza in the family Fringillidae. It was endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Maui. It is only known from fossil remains and likely became extinct before the first Europeans visited Hawaii in 1778.

Maui Nui finch

Oʻahu petrel

The Oʻahu petrel (Pterodroma jugabilis ) is an extinct species of very small gadfly petrel known only from subfossil material found in the Hawaiian Islands. The specific epithet comes from the Latin jugabilis, meaning “that which may be joined”, with reference to the unusual, nearly conjoined, supraorbital salt gland depressions on the cranium. It has no obvious close relatives among living species of Pterodroma.The petrel's remains have been reco ...
vered from Barbers Point, Oʻahu, and from lava tubes in the North Kona District of Hawaiʻi. It probably bred at other sites in the Hawaiian Islands, and possibly elsewhere in the Pacific. Most bones were found in an archaeological context, indicating that the birds had been used as food by ancient Hawaiians.

Oʻahu petrel

Phyllodesmium poindimiei

Phyllodesmium poindimiei (AKA: Spun Of Light) is an Alcyonacea feeding, aeolid nudibranch Gastropod belonging to the family Facelinidae. Cerata are important in this clade in terms of their physical defense and efficient metabolic processes. This species is spread sporadically along tropical coastal regions such as Australia, Hawaii, and the Indo-Pacific living in diverse marine habitats such as coral reefs. Unlike other species in the ...
Opisthobranch Mollusca clade, P. poindimiei ’s lush pink cerata are used for defensive purposes other than Nematocyst (dinoflagellate) capture and toxin release. Organismal ties within these thriving, tropical ecosystems can be determinants of environment change, which affects massive coral ecosystems. Continuously changing marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, are directly linked to the evolution of organisms that live and thrive in the tropics such as the soft nudibrach P. poindimiei.

Phyllodesmium poindimiei

Magnoteuthis microlucens

Magnoteuthis microlucens is a species of squid; the most common species of Mastigoteuthis around the main Hawaiian Islands.A specimen was caught in a filter placed in one of the deep-sea pipelines of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) off the Hawaiian Islands in the summer of 2007. On June 12, 2007, the creature was identified as an unnamed species of squid. The ruby-red creature was about a foot long, with white suction ...
cups on its arms. The animal died three days after it was brought to the surface.The specimen was originally dubbed "Octosquid" by NELHA operations manager Jan War, a reference to the fact that the specimen had only eight arms, like an octopus, rather than the eight arms and two tentacles of most squid. An examination of the specimen conducted by Richard Young of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, however, concluded that it was an unnamed species of the genus Mastigoteuthis. The specimen was likely missing its tentacles due to them being torn off during capture.It was formally described in 2008 as Mastigoteuthis microlucens.

Magnoteuthis microlucens

Harpa davidis

Harpa davidis, common name the Madras harp or David harp, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Harpidae, the harp snails.

Harpa davidis

Ceratosoma tenue

Ceratosoma tenue is a species of colourful dorid nudibranch, a sea slug, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.

Ceratosoma tenue

Conus kahiko

Conus kahiko is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails, cone shells or cones.

Conus kahiko

Ardeadoris scottjohnsoni

Ardeadoris scottjohnsoni is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.

Ardeadoris scottjohnsoni

Hypselodoris imperialis

Hypselodoris imperialis is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.

Hypselodoris imperialis

Goniobranchus albopustulosus

Goniobranchus albopustulosus is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.

Goniobranchus albopustulosus

Spergo glandiniformis

Spergo glandiniformis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.

Spergo glandiniformis

Conus martensi

Conus martensi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.

Conus martensi

Goniobranchus vibratus

Goniobranchus vibratus, common name trembling nudibranch, is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.

Goniobranchus vibratus

Conus nanus

Conus nanus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.These snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.

Conus nanus

Carinapex papillosa

Carinapex papillosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Horaiclavidae.It was previously included within the family Turridae.

Carinapex papillosa

Thorunna kahuna

Thorunna kahuna is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.

Thorunna kahuna

Goniobranchus petechialis

Goniobranchus petechialis is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.

Goniobranchus petechialis

Mitromorpha salisburyi

Mitromorpha salisburyi is a species of sea snail; a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mitromorphidae.

Mitromorpha salisburyi

Kermia bifasciata

Kermia bifasciata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.It was assigned to Kermia by Kay, 1979

Kermia bifasciata

Thatcheriasyrinx orientis

Thatcheriasyrinx orientis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.Thatcheriasyrinx orientis kawamurai (Kuroda, 1959) (found off the Ogasawara Islands, Japan)

Thatcheriasyrinx orientis

Punctoterebra plumbea

Punctoterebra plumbea, common name : the lead-coloured auger, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Terebridae, the auger snails.

Punctoterebra plumbea

Eucyclotoma albomacula

Eucyclotoma albomacula is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae.

Eucyclotoma albomacula

Anatoma pseudoequatoria

Anatoma pseudoequatoria is a species of minute sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Anatomidae.

Anatoma pseudoequatoria

Baeolidia scottjohnsoni

Baeolidia scottjohnsoni, is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae found in the Marshall Islands and Hawaii, United States.

Baeolidia scottjohnsoni

Astralium confragosum

Astralium confragosum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinidae, the turban snails.

Astralium confragosum

Brookula iki

Brookula iki is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, unassigned in the superfamily Seguenzioidea.

Brookula iki

Comitas oahuensis

Comitas oahuensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pseudomelatomidae.

Comitas oahuensis

Carinapex mooreorum

Carinapex mooreorum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Horaiclavidae.

Carinapex mooreorum