Endemism in the Hawaiian Islands facts for kids

The Hawaiian Islands are super special because they are the most isolated group of islands on Earth! They are about 2,300 miles (3,680 km) away from the nearest big landmass. This means that plants and animals arrived here very rarely, usually by accident. Over millions of years, these species slowly changed and adapted, becoming unique to Hawaii.

Because of this long isolation, Hawaii is home to many endemic species. This means they are found nowhere else in the world! The way species change and create new ones, like Charles Darwin saw in the Galápagos Islands, happened even more dramatically in the Hawaiian Islands. This is because they were so cut off from the rest of the world.

The main Hawaiian Islands we see today are quite young, less than 10 million years old. But older volcanic islands existed before them, stretching far to the northwest. These ancient islands have slowly sunk over time, becoming underwater mountains or coral atolls like Midway Atoll.

The islands are also famous for their amazing variety of environments. On just one island, you can find everything from dry tropical coasts to wet tropical rainforests. As you go up the mountains, the climate changes from warm tropical to cool, dry alpine conditions. This wide range of climates helps create many different habitats for unique plants and animals.

How the Islands Formed

The Hawaiian Islands formed one after another, in a line from the northwest to the southeast. Scientists studied the oldest rocks on each island to figure out their ages. For example, Kauai is about 5.1 million years old, Oahu is about 3.7 million years old, and the youngest island, Hawaii, is about 0.43 million years old. Knowing the age of the islands helps scientists understand how long plants and animals have been living and changing there. As new islands formed, they offered new homes for growing populations and encouraged species to adapt in new ways.

Humans Arrive and Change the Islands

When humans first arrived in Hawaii, first the Polynesians and later the Europeans, they had a big impact on the environment. Both groups cleared native forests. They also brought new plants and animals for farming or by accident. These new species often competed with the native ones, causing many unique Hawaiian species to disappear forever.

Fossils found in caves and lava tubes show that Hawaii once had its own native eagle, large crows, owls that ate birds, and giant ducks called moa-nalos. Sadly, these are all gone now. Since the Polynesian settlers arrived, about 861 new plant species have been brought to the islands, including important crops like taro and breadfruit.

Today, many of Hawaii's remaining unique plants and animals are in danger. Some are even critically endangered, meaning they are very close to disappearing. Plants are especially at risk. Out of 2,690 plant species, 946 are not native, and 800 of the native species are listed as endangered.

Amazing Animals of Hawaii

Hawaii is home to many incredible animals, many of which are found nowhere else.

Mammals

• Hawaiian hoary bat (ʻŌpeʻapeʻa) (Lasiurus semotus) - This is Hawaii's only native land mammal. It is endangered.
• Hawaiian monk seal (ʻIlio-holo-i-ka-uaua) (Neomonachus schauinslandi) - These seals live in the waters around Hawaii. They are also endangered.
• Synemporion keana (a type of vesper bat) - This bat is now extinct.

Birds

Hawaii once had many unique birds, but sadly, many have disappeared.

• Nene (Hawaiian goose) (Branta sandvicensis) - This is the state bird of Hawaii. It is vulnerable.
• Hawaiian duck (Koloa) (Anas wyvilliana) - This duck is endangered.
• Hawaiian hawk ('Io) (Buteo solitarius) - This hawk is found only in Hawaii. It is near threatened.
• Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) - This crow is extinct in the wild, meaning it only exists in special breeding programs.
• ʻIʻiwi (Scarlet honeycreeper) (Drepanis coccinea) - This beautiful red bird is vulnerable.
• ʻApapane (Himantione sanguinea) - This common honeycreeper is currently of least concern.

Freshwater Fishes

Hawaii's native freshwater fish are unique because they can also live in salty ocean water at some point in their lives.

• Oopu nakea (Awaous stamineus)
• Stimpson's goby (Sicyopterus stimpsoni) - This fish is near threatened.

Cool Invertebrates

Invertebrates are animals without backbones, like insects and snails. Hawaii has many unique ones!

Insects

• Hyposmocoma (a genus of moths) - Some of these moths are very unusual, like the snail-eating caterpillar!
• Kamehameha butterfly (Pulelehua) (Vanessa tameamea) - This beautiful butterfly is named after a Hawaiian king.
• Longhead yellow-faced bee (Hawaiian yellow-faced bee) (Hylaeus longiceps) - These bees are important for pollinating plants.
• Wēkiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) - This bug lives only on the high, cold peaks of volcanoes.

Spiders

• Happy face spider (Theridion grallator) - This spider has markings on its back that look like a smiling face!
• Kauaʻi cave wolf spider (Adelocosa anops) - This unique spider lives in caves and is endangered.

Snails

Hawaii is famous for its many types of land snails, but many are now threatened or extinct.

• Oahu tree snails (Achatinella) - These beautiful snails are highly threatened.
• Neritina granosa (a freshwater snail) - This snail is vulnerable.

Marine Animals

The waters around Hawaii are full of amazing marine life.

Corals

Hawaii has many unique coral species that help build its beautiful reefs.

• Finger coral (Porites compressa)
• Molokaʻi cauliflower coral (Pocillopora molokensis)
• Blue rice coral (Montipora flabellata)
• Grand black coral (Antipathes grandis)

Amazing Plants of Hawaii

Hawaii's isolation has led to an incredible variety of plants found nowhere else.

Palms

• Loulu – (Pritchardia fan palms) - These are Hawaii's only native palms.

Bellflowers

• Alula (Brighamia insignis) - This plant is critically endangered and looks like a small palm tree.
• Lobelia niihauensis - This plant is endangered.

Sunflowers and Silverswords

• Hawaii silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense) - These amazing plants grow only on high volcanic slopes and can live for many years before blooming once and dying.
• Hawaiian iliau (Wilkesia gymnoxiphium) - This plant is related to the silverswords.

Hibiscus

• Yellow hibiscus (Hibiscus brackenridgei) - This beautiful yellow flower is the state flower of Hawaii. It is endangered.

ʻŌhiʻa Lehua

• ʻŌhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) - This tree is very important in Hawaiian forests and culture. It is often the first tree to grow on new lava flows.

Berries

• ʻĀkala (Rubus hawaiensis) - This is a native Hawaiian raspberry.