Biogeography is the study of how geography affects the biological world. Geographic features play a dominant role in shaping Hawaii’s natural world and make it a great place for biogeographic studies. The Hawaiian islands make up the most extensive archipelago on earth. They contain an incredible diversity of terrain, habitat, and climate zones. ...
Big Island. Big Dreams. Big Adventures.
Often referred to as one of the world’s greatest natural history stories, the incredible legacy of the Hawaiian island chain begins with geology. Trillions of tons of rock, driven up from the earth’s molten mantle through a localized hot spot, created landscapes like no other in the worl...
Along with its world-class showcase of biology, evolution, geology, and astronomy, Hawaii has also gained the regrettable reputation as the endangered species capital of the world. Conservationists consider Hawaii to be at the forefront of the global extinction crisis....
Geology of Hawaii
Hawaii’s volcanoes
Everybody knows Hawaii has volcanoes. In fact, the Hawaiian islands are completely built up from the ocean floor. A volcano-making machine seethes deep beneath the island of Hawaii that geologists call a hot spot. Over the past 44 million yea...
Hawaiian Name: 'Io
Scientific Name: Buteo solitarius
Status: Endangered Native Species
A symbol of Hawaiian royalty and favored by ali'i (chiefs). Currently, habitat destruction, nest disturbance and hunting threaten survival of this species....
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It was a fun week of learning. Thursday, Christina, Matt, and I attended the Mauna Ulu training at HVNP. Interpreter Jay Robinson and Cultural Liason Keola Wang shared there manao of this dynamic area. Despite all of us being intimate with the eruption site, we all learned many new insights to share with our guests.
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Last month, Rob P. had the opportunity to take Bridget Marquardt and her Auereana Tseu, Miss Hawaii 2009, on a private Kohala Waterfalls Adventure. You may know Bridget from her hit television show, The Girls Next Door, or from her new series on the Travel Channel, Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches. Rob led them on an exciting ha...
Scientific Name: Capra hircus
History: Introduced to Hawaiian Islands in 1778 by Captain James Cook.
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Hawaiian Name: Opeapea
Scientific Name: Lasiurus cinereus semotus
The Hawaiian Bat is the only endemic land mammal in Hawaii that is extant (surviving). The Hawaiian Bat has been on the federal list of endangered species since the 1970s.
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