These "Ambassadors of Aloha" are Hawaii's smallest and most common dolphin species. Hawaiian spinner dolphins are shaped and colored slightly differently from other spinner dolphins, possessing a distinctive three-tone color pattern; a dark gray back, lighter gray sides and a white or pink belly. This species get their name from their playful habit of leaping high into the air, spinning several times on their tails before falling back into the ocean. After a night of hunting using their built-in sonar, they re-group and return to the shelter of the Leeward Oahu coastline.

      Reuniting schools spend the early morning playing affectionately among each other, with increased aerial behavior and vocalization. As the day progresses, pods begin to huddle tightly together. They turn off their sonar, relying only on eyesight as a defense mechanism, and enter a restful state. When they awaken from their rest, some members spin, playfully urging others seaward in search of food. Reluctant dolphins nudge the schools back towards shore and their resting behavior. This zig-zag pattern takes place for another hour or so until the schools once again venture out for another night of hunting.

      Each year between the months of November and May, up to 10,000 humpback whales visit Hawaii's waters. Traveling as far as 3500 miles from their feeding grounds off the Alaska and California coast, they migrate to Hawaii's warm waters to breed, calve, and nurse their young. A female's gestation period of 11-12 months ensures that their calf will be born next winter in Hawaii's warm, sheltered waters. When born, calves weigh an average of 3000 pounds and range from 10-16 feet in length.

      Fed by their mother's nutrient-rich milk, they double in size in one year, ultimately reaching 40-52 feet in length, making humpbacks the fifth largest of the great whales. A fully-grown humpback weighs approximately one ton per foot. Hawaii's six protective sanctuary areas (see map below) provide a safe and secure haven for their reproductive behaviors. Humpbacks are easy to see in Hawaii's waters because of their dramatic behavior patterns, such as breaching, slamming their tail flukes or slapping their pectoral fins.

      In Hawaii, the green sea turtle is known as Honu. Green sea turtles get their name from the color of their body fat, which is green from the algae or limu that they eat. Hawaiian green sea turtles do not reach sexual maturity until they are about 25 years old. Adults migrate to the nesting grounds, primarily at French Frigate Shoals located 800 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands where nesting occurs at night from late April through September. Using their flippers, females dig a pit and deposit 100 to 120 ping-pong ball sized eggs, then gently cover the nest using its flippers.

     After about 60 days of incubation, hatchlings dig to the surface of the nest and head toward the water. They disappear and are not seen by humans until they appear as juveniles in the waters of the main Hawaiian Islands. Hatchlings weigh about one ounce and have a shell length of 2 inches, eventually growing up to 4 feet and 400 pounds. It is estimated that only 1 or 2 hatchlings from each nest make it to maturity. Honu are listed as a threatened species and are protected in Hawaii under state law and the federal Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to import or export turtle products, kill, or capture green sea turtles.

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