Hawai’i is one of the most
isolated lands in the world, sitting in the middle of the vast
Pacific Ocean, almost 2,500 miles distant from San Francisco, its
closest port-of-call. Up until the arrival of the first humans (some
1,700 to 1,200 years ago), the island chain was populated solely by
flora and fauna that arrived in one of three ways: via bird, winds,
or ocean currents. And many of those plants and animals that did
manage to make the long voyage evolved over millions of years into
completely new, distinct species.
downtown Hilo’s new
Palila mural,
painted by Kathleen Kam
(you can order a signed print of
the mural here)
It has been estimated that
there were some 8,500 native species on the Hawaiian Islands before
the arrival of the first Polynesian sailors, and that about 96% of
these were endemic—i.e., they evolved on the islands and were found
no where else in the world. Perhaps even more interesting is that
these endemic species are thought to have evolved from only about
1,000 original colonizing species. In other words, some eight new
species evolved from each one that made it to the islands. (Many of
these facts, as well as ones that follow, are taken from this document.)
