Marine Mammals

Cetaceans – including Kohola (humpback whales) and Nai’a (dolphins) – and monk seals are all marine mammals. Cetaceans are famous for their intelligence and complex social behaviour, including living and hunting as families and caring for their young. Monk seals are on the opposite end of the scale, leading very solitary lives as adults. All are well known and deeply loved in Hawaii.

Kohola (humpbacks) are the most commonly seen whales in Hawaii and grace our waters November through May (most January through March), possibly because they make such a spectacle when they breach! But there are actually 18 kinds of toothed whales and 6 kinds of other baleen whales that have been documented in Hawaii and probably live here year round (Humpbacks make 7).

Nai’a or Hawaiian Dolphins, are adored for their cheeky antics. Chatty and intelligent, Nai’a are not just social, they can be just as fierce as sharks. Their anatomically fixed ‘smiles’ have made them a favorite of humans so they need little introduction – as beautiful communal mammals, they stay with their young, and nurse their weak. They live and hunt in packs, often coordinating their movements. We believe these, along with all cetaceans and sharks, belong in the wild ocean and not held in captivity.

Monk Seals – one of the most endangered seals in the world, the Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of only two remaining (extant) monk seals. Treated as local celebrities in Hawaii, each time a monk seal hauls out of the ocean volunteers show up to ensure they are kept safe. Yet they are still endangered from human behavior. They were put on the endangered species list in 1976 but are still struggling (estimates range between 1000 -1300 individuals). A percentage of every monk seal we sell will go toward monk seal conservation.