Animals

Drilling for minerals deep in the ocean could have immense consequences on the tiny animals at the core of the vast ocean food web — and ultimately affect fisheries and the food we find on our plates. That's according to a study by University of Hawaiʻi researchers that's out Thursday in the journal Nature Communications.

The Archipelago Research and Conservation group is partnering with the state to make a stretch of Kaumualiʻi Highway safer for Hawaiʻi's state bird. Five nēnē have been fatally hit by cars in the area since Friday.

Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity officials are going door to door in Kona Palisades on Hawaiʻi Island to ask for consent from residents to treat palms on their properties.

Researchers Megan Porter and Becky Chong received a grant from the National Science Foundation in 2022 to study biodiversity in Hawaiʻi Island's lava tubes. "We're still finding new species all the time," Porter said.

Malacologists Ken Hayes and Norine Yeung spoke to The Conversation’s Catherine Cruz about native snails and conservation.

Hawaiʻi Island was ground zero for invasive species like the little fire ant and coquí frog. Now, officials and community members are trying to make sure another pest doesn't gain a permanent foothold on the island. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.

Researcher Mikinley Weaver spoke to HPR's Maddie Bender about new research into lice found on wedge-tailed shearwaters.

Workers from different animal rescue organizations on Oʻahu said shelters are at an emergency level due to the overpopulation of rescued animals without a home to go to.

The sounds of invasive coquí frogs have been heard in Waimānalo since at least 2021. On a recent Thursday night, HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote went out with a state-led team of volunteers trying to restore the soundscape of the Windward Oʻahu forest.

University of Hawaiʻi scientists Aaron Judah and Jeff Drazen spoke with HPR’s Maddie Bender about their new research on the overlap between the habitats of sharks and rays and proposed commercial mining activities.