This Week in Nature: The 2nd week in May - Honu

What's happening in Hawaii 
During the 2nd week in May:

Honu, the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), is entering its main nesting season. A few turtles can be found laying eggs on isolated windward beaches of the main islands, but most migrate hundreds of miles to uninhabited islands of the French Frigate Shoals, northwest of Kauai.

Honu, the green sea turtle.

Capture of honu was restricted by a kapu in the old days and made illegal in 1978, but the intervening years were hard, and only a few hundred females now lay eggs in a breeding season. By August, these eggs will produce thousands of young, but few will survive the 10-50 years it may take for honu to reach maturity. Hatchlings fall prey immediately to crabs, and tiger sharks pose a life-long threat.

Honu resting on the rocks at Punalu'u beach, Hawaii Island. 

Honu holds a prominent place in Hawaiian myths and is among the animals that serve some families as ‘aumākua. In a legendary battle with a Moloka‘i chief, the hero Kana of Hilo crushed a “floating hill” which was actually the back of the giant turtle Ka-honu-nui-maeleka. Each piece of the shell came alive, thus populating Hawai‘i with turtles.

Honu at Punalu'u black sand beach, Hawai'i Island. 

To find out more about the green sea turtle, visit the HEAR.org honu info page.

Text and drawn image from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989