Lots of loli!

  

We saw at least 10 species of loli, or sea cucumbers, while snorkeling in Hawai'i.  Eric made this great mosaic before we saw the 10th, so above you can compare 9 different species!  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

Top left: loli, or White-spotted Sea Cucumber (Actinopyga varians)
Top center: loli, or Teated Sea Cucumber (Holothuria whitmaei)
Top right: kohe lelewa, or Sand Sea Cucumber (Holothuria arenicola)

Middle left:  loli, or Difficult Sea Cucumber (Holothuria difficilis)
Middle center: loli okuhi kuhi, or Black Sea Cucumber (Holothuria atra)
Middle right: loli koko, or Impatient Sea Cucumber (Holothuria impatiens)

Bottom left: weli, or Conspicuous Sea Cucumber (Opheodesoma spectabilis)
Bottom center: weli, or Tahitian Sea Cucumber (Euapta tahitiensis)
Bottom right: loli, or Light-spotted Sea Cucumber (Holothuria hilla)

And the 10th (not pictured) was a loli ka'e, or Stubborn Sea Cucumber (Holothuria pervicax).

Fun to see so many different species of loli!

On the windward side

  

While in Hawai'i, we walked some east-facing beaches to look for pelagic invertebrates washed ashore.

Above, a small Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis) on Kaua'i on 4 April 2024.

Below, a Purple Sea Snail (Janthina umbilicata).  (Interestingly, the Janthina we found on Kaua'i were quite a bit smaller than the Janthina we observed in California back in March.)

 

 

 

One of the beaches where these species were found:

 

 

 

Birds of a different feather

  

A few more miscellaneous bird photos from Hawai'i for you...

Above, a kōlea, or Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva), all dressed up for the breeding season and departing soon for the Arctic tundra.

 

 

 

Close-up of a nēnē , or Hawaiian Goose (Branta sandvicensis), endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

 

 

 

 

A distant photo, but these were my first kioea, or Bristle-thighed Curlews (Numenius tahitiensis).

 

 

 

Also distant, but fun to see a pueo, or Hawaiian Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus sandwichensis).

 

 

 

An ‘ūlili, or Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana) on a nice bed of limu kala. (I think this might be Sargassum aquifolium, formerly S. echinocarpum, but feel free to correct me!)  This endemic species is the state seaweed of Hawai'i and an important alga used in cultural practices by native Hawaiians.

 

 

 

‘Ā, or Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster).

Thanks for tuning in for some special guests from Hawai'i!

Bearing a clever defense

  

Sometimes it's hard to choose which photos to share, but I couldn't resist posting this Teddy Bear Crab (Polydectus cupulifer) from Hawai'i.

This crab is covered with dense setae (chitinous bristles), making it look very fuzzy.  

And check out the area near the tips of its claws.  Can you see how it looks a bit softer there and how it's a slightly different color than the crab (and lacks bristles)?  

Teddy Bear Crabs carry a small sea anemone in each claw.  [They usually choose Pleasing Anemones (Telmatactis decora).]  I read that the sea anemones might be used to defend against predators or in feeding.

Photographed near Honolulu on 7 April 2024.

Surfacing, sunning, and surfing

 

 

A few more photos of honu, or Green Sea Turtles (Chelonias mydas), from Hawai'i for you.

Above, two photographed in the Honolulu area.  These turtles were only at the surface for brief periods.  Most of the time they were under water, perhaps feeding near the bottom?

Below, two photographed on Kaui'i.  One resting on the beach, and another riding a wave:

 

 

 

 

With aloha

Local spots?

  

We saw a lot of beautiful fish in Hawaii — this one is a Hawaiian White-spotted Toby (Canthigaster jactator).  

The Hawaiian White-spotted Toby is a member of the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae) and is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.  This is a small species, generally less than ~9 cm (~3.5 inches) long.

 

 

Eric did a great job documenting its amazing green eyes.  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

 

Photographed on the south shore of Kaua'i on 1 April 2024.

‘ōhiki sampler

  

Here's a bit of an ‘ōhiki, or ghost crab, sampler from Hawaii.

Above, a Horn-eyed Ghost Crab (Ocypode ceratopthalmus) on the north shore of O'ahu on 29 March 2024.  This is a large crab, with a carapace of ~4 cm (~1.5 inches) across.

Below, examples of Pallid Ghost Crabs (Ocypode pallidula), the first two from the north shore of O'ahu on 29 March 2024 on coarse sand, and the third from the south shore of Kaua'i on 3 April 2024 on fine sand. 

[You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting to see the different color patterns of the Pallid Ghost Crabs on different beaches.  

 

And just like the ghost crab species on the Atlantic Coast, these crabs are incredibly fast, so hats off to Eric for his persistence in photographing them!