I am sure there must be many birds, but how varied is the wildlife in Hawaii?

-- Joanne Miller (jlmill@sympatico.ca), January 26, 1999

Answers

There are over 10,000 insects with 98% found no place else on earth. Before humans, there were no amphibians and no reptiles. There was only the Monk Seal and the Hoary Bat. There are now about 1,000 monk seals. There used to be 70 native species of birds of which there are now about 15. Other mamals introduced include cat, dog, rat, mice, axis deer, goat, mongoose, pig, cattle, donkey, Mouflon, sheep, mule deer, horse, pronghorn antelope, and rabbit. There are always illegal snakes, fish, and alligators that they catch. Then you have the whales and dolphins.

-- Roy Inouye (roy@bothi.com), January 26, 1999.

One of the most striking variations of Hawaiian wildlife is in its honeycreeper bird species. This species exemplifies the classic evolutionary process observed by Charles Darwin. Species developed individual physical attributes to accommodate access to the nectar of different native flowers and the processing of seeds. From long curved bills, to strong and short ones. Most are now extinct and the remaining ones line up on the endangered list.

-- blee (shaka007@gte.net), February 17, 1999.