Coral reefs in Palau are national treasures

• By Susan Scott
• Feb. 17, 2018
• 2

Palau’s corals are getting attention for their ability to thrive in warm, acidic water, factors that are killing corals in other parts of the world. Read more

Breathing gets bubbly while crabs are on land

• By Susan Scott
• Feb. 10, 2018
• 1

Crabs that spend part of their lives in the water, and part out, can blow bubbles. This foaming-at-the-mouth might look like the crab is in distress, and sometimes it is, but in healthy crabs, mouth bubbling comes from the crab breathing air instead of water. Read more

Clinger crabs are members of wind drift community

• By Susan Scott
• Feb. 3, 2018

Clinger crabs are about the size of a quarter and come in shades of blue or brown, depending on which object they’ve chosen to call home. Read more

Midway beach becomes wall-to-wall sea turtles

• By Susan Scott
• Jan. 27, 2018

During my albatross work at Midway two years ago, I watched several 200-or-so-pound turtles dig their front fins into the sand and lurch up the beach, one laborious step at a time. I felt exhausted just watching. Read more

Good deed brings rare glimpse of sea horse

• By Susan Scott
• Jan. 20, 2018
• 1

The sea horse is a Hawaii native. The smooth sea horse’s scientific name is Hippocampus kuda. Read more

Green turtles’ numbers are growing at Midway

• By Susan Scott
• Jan. 13, 2018

Midway is famous for hosting the largest albatross colony in the world, but it’s also become a place to admire sea turtles. Read more

Distinct isle anemones stow their okole at aquarium

• By Susan Scott
• Jan. 6, 2018
• 1

In light of all the time I spend snorkeling and reading about marine life, you might think that the aquarium wouldn’t hold any surprises for me. But wait, what’s this? On exhibit is an anemone, called Mann’s anemone, found only in Hawaii that I didn’t know existed. Read more

Isles host 20 species of native spider crab

• By Susan Scott
• Dec. 30, 2017
• 1

Year-end highlights or summaries aren’t my favorite reading material because the articles mostly contain facts about things I already know. Read more

Laysan albatross joins birds visiting isles for the holidays

• By Susan Scott
• Dec. 16, 2017
• 3

Here on Oahu, the holidays are for the birds — shorebirds and seabirds, that is. In November, we plover lovers added to our list of thanks the first-ever-seen white (called leucistic) kolea, spotted foraging at Heeia Pier. Read more

White terns enjoy growth with the help of humans

• By Susan Scott
• Dec. 9, 2017
• 3

For the second year in a row, Honolulu’s white terns (the official name for what we once called fairy terns or angel terns) are having a banner year. Read more

It’s the time for ‘wedgies’ to be leaving their burrows

• By Susan Scott
• Dec. 2, 2017

Happening right now with wedge-tailed shearwaters on Oahu, moms, dads and fledgling chicks are leaving their underground hideaways to ride the wind above the waves. Read more

Rare white plover adopts boat harbor as winter home

• By Susan Scott
• Nov. 25, 2017

Forget a white Christmas. We bird lovers are dreaming of a white kolea. Read more

Minuscule ‘water bears’ are uncanny survivors

• By Susan Scott
• Nov. 18, 2017

Water bears have survived temperatures as high as 300 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as minus 456 degrees. The animals have also lived through vacuums, intense radiationand zero oxygen. Read more

Bleaching isn’t always death knell for corals

• By Susan Scott
• Nov. 11, 2017

Some corals are adapting to higher water temperatures and doing just fine. Perhaps, as human and wildlife suffering escalates worldwide, our species will evolve to become less selfish. Read more

Sea snakes seen sunning amid Great Barrier Reef

• By Susan Scott
• Oct. 28, 2017

I know I’ll never convince people who fear snakes that they’re fun snorkeling companions. But even those with phobias might appreciate seeing, from the deck of a boat, a rare marine animal in its natural element. Read more

Underwater ‘banquets’ are a feast for the eyes

• By Susan Scott
• Oct. 21, 2017

Although Orpheus is also a national park with its own charming beaches, birds and reefs, we missed our giant clams. Read more

Coral-eating starfish have their place in healthy reefs

• By Susan Scott
• Oct. 14, 2017

On our sailboat, Honu, no wind means using the boat’s loud, hot motor to go somewhere, something we sailors resist. Read more

Colorful ocean plant also reeks of dead fish

• By Susan Scott
• Oct. 7, 2017

Blooms of sea sawdust during periods of calm seas are common inside the Great Barrier Reef. People here accept the colorful alga mats and their pungent odor as part of life on Australia’s tropical coast. Read more

Mystery fish is revealed as snapper from Tahiti

• By Susan Scott
• Sept. 30, 2017

As if that’s not enough to confuse even seasoned fish watchers, some wrasses change body color dramatically after they’re adults, switching from female to male as the need in a wrasse harem demands. Read more

Puffy toylike fishes aren’t to be played with

• By Susan Scott
• Sept. 23, 2017

Like its pufferfish kin, boxfish carry a toxin so strong it can kill aquarium mates. And if the little boxfish gets really upset, it can exude, from its skin, enough poison in the tank to also kill itself. Read more

Scorpionfish well hidden with leafy camouflage

• By Susan Scott
• Sept. 16, 2017

They are really cool, and yes, leaf scorpionfish are common in Hawaii, sometimes in water only inches deep. But that doesn’t mean we commonly see them. Read more