Hawaii's Endangered Species

Hi! Avery here. In Ready! Set! Hawaii!, I learned that Hawaii has more endangered species per square mile than anywhere else on earth. Totally crazy! If you're as concerned as me, read on to learn more about a few of these disappearing critters and plants.

Hawaiian Goose (Nene)
We got lucky and saw one of these black and white striped geese on Kaua'i! Aside from the honor of being Hawaii's state bird, the Nene is super cool because it had to adapt to life on lava flows, so it developed claws on its webbed feet! There are about 800 wild Nenes and counting... the Hawaiian goose is making a comeback.

Kauai Cave Wolf Spider (Pe'e Pe'e Maka 'Ole)
This creepy crawly isn't your ordinary spider. Rather than spinning a web, it hunts by chasing down prey and attacking! Even weirder, it doesn't have any eyes, and gets around by sensing chemicals on the ground. There are only three known caves on Kauai where these spiders still live.

Hawaiian monk seal ('Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua)
That long hawaiian name means "dog that runs in rough waters." Adults can grow up to seven feet long and weigh as much as 600 pounds! They love to eat crustaceans, fish, lobsters, octopuses, and eels. (Ewww!) Only about 1,000 of these seals are left in the wild. Too bad the BSG didn't get to see any on our trip!

Oahu Tree Snails
Once upon a time, there were over 40 different kinds of these tiny snails. Now, there are only seven or eight species left, and some exist only in captivity! These inch-long critters spend their entire lives crawling around on the leaves of native Oahu trees and shrubs, chowing down on fungus.

Hawaiian stilt (Ae'o)
This black and white shore bird plays a cool trick: It will pretend to have a broken wing to lure attackers away from its nest! Stilts live on most of the Hawaiian islands in marshy areas. They're in trouble because people like to drain wetlands to build houses or shopping malls.

Silversword (Ahinahina)
Isn't silversword the coolest name ever? This plant is basically a ball of spiky silver leaves that grows on the slopes of the Haleakala and Mauna Kea volcanoes. When it blooms, a head of maroon flowers sticks out like a thumbs-up. Don't walk too close or you'll crush it's roots!