In the past few weeks our office has received numerous calls from concerned citizens about seeing a whale in distress. The whale observed is spending long periods of time at the surface with its flukes extended above the water’s surface. Some...
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MORE ON THIS: False killer whales, while a globally distributed species, have a special tie to Maui and the four-island region. Recent research has found that a very small group of this odontocete, or toothed whale species, calls Hawaiian waters home,...
Read More FACT OF THE WEEK: Humpback whales have hair! MORE ON THIS: You probably know that whales and dolphins are marine mammals. Marine mammals, like terrestrial or land mammals, must have a certain set of characteristics to be called mammals - these...
Read More MORE ON THIS: It is easy to see the beauty of coral reefs when snorkeling or diving during the day, but have you ever seen the colors of coral at night? Coral reefs are known to put on a light...
Read More MORE ON THIS: To native Hawaiians, this furry creature may be referred to as ‘llioholoikauaua, but you personally know them as Hawaiian monk seals. These monk seals are endemic, meaning they are only found in Hawai‘i. They are one of...
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MORE ON THIS: In Hawai‘i, Hawksbill turtles mostly nest on Hawai‘i Island, but Maui is home to some of the nesting beaches for ten of these turtles. Beginning around age 20, a female will return to the area where she...
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FACT OF THE WEEK: Bottlenose dolphins may address each other by name!MORE ON THIS: Recent research has suggested that bottlenose dolphins have individually unique signature whistles that are equivalent to human names. During the first few months of life, a...
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Marine mammals have a reflective layer behind the retina of their eye called tapetum lucidum, which is Latin for "bright tapestry". It is this same reflective layer that causes the eyes of cats to glow at night. This layer enhances...
Read More FACT OF THE WEEK: The underside of a whale’s tail, called the flukes, is not the only characteristic that can be used to photo-identify baleen whales.MORE ON THIS: You may already know that humpback whales have individually unique tail flukes,...
Read More FACT OF THE WEEK: Zoonotic disease Brucellosis found shared between marine mammals and humans.MORE ON THIS: Zoonotic diseases are those which can be passed between humans and animals. Brucella spp. is the genus of bacteria which causes the zoonotic disease Brucellosis, and...
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