Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 8, 1 August 1988 — Naturally Hawaiian [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Naturally Hawaiian

By Patrick Ching Artist/ Environmentalist

Living Jewels You are probably aware that Hawaii hosts a wide variety of beautiful and melodious forest birds. Did you know that the Hawaiian forests are also home to numerous species of native land snails whieh are not only spectacular and colorful but musical as well? Actually, the musical capabilities of these tiny snails are mythical; however, the Hawaiians of old often referred to the colorful creatures as "pupu-kani-oe", literally "the shell that sounds long", because of the belief that the shells could sing. (The actual sounds that were associated with these snails most likely eame from nearby crickets.)

The first native land snails probably arrived in the islands attached to the feet and feathers of birds. From a small number of original ancestors over a thousand species have evolved to inhabit the shrubs and trees of Hawaii's forests. Many of these species ranging in size from 1/3 to 3/4 ineh in length, have since become extinct and many more are critically endangered. As in the case of Hawaii's birds, loss of habitat and predation by introduced animals have played major roles in the decline of native land snail species. By far the most destructive of the introduced predators is a eannibalistic snail brought from Florida to control the African snail (also introduced). Another factor that contributed to the reduction of native snail populations was that due to their brilliance, variation in color, and general attractiveness, literally millions of the tiny pupu were harvested for private collections. Today, all of Hawaii's native land snail species are protected by law. If you do ehanee upon some while hiking through Hawaii's forests, remember to leave them as you found them so that these delicate creatures may flourish for future generations to enjoy.