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Go to the English to Hawaiian Directory for the Animals Category
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‘alalā. noun. Hawaiian crow. The Hawaiian crow, named for its harsh, grating cry. The ‘alalā is now extinct in the wild. Above is a picture of an actual ‘alalā.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘alalā.
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‘alopeke. noun. Fox. The PE Dictionary says that ‘alopeke is transliterated for the Greek word "alopeks." I haven't been able to confirm this, for the obvious reason that it's Greek to me.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘alopeka.
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‘elelū. noun. Cockroach.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘elelū.
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‘elepaio. noun. A bird, a species of flycatcher. A species of flycatcher that inhabits the Big Island, O‘ahu and Kaua‘i This bird is among the most adaptable of the native Hawaiian birds to modern conditions. With so many native Hawaiian plants and animals succumbing to extinction or near extinction, no subspecies have become extict, although two subspecies are now quite rare. The ‘elepaio was considered a form of the goddess Lea, the goddess of canoe makers. The ‘elepaio would help the canoe makers select a tree trunk for carving. The ‘elepaio are insectivores, so if the bird showed no interest in the tree truck, the trunk was very likely suitable for carving, but if the ‘elepaio was seen pecking at a tree it signified the trunk was insect-ridden and not suitable for a canoe.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘elepaio.
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‘elepani. noun. Elephant. Transliterated from the English "elephant."
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘elepani.
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hipa. noun. Sheep. Transliterated from English "sheep."
For the glossary entry and more information, see hipa.
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hoki. noun. Mule.
For the glossary entry and more information, see hoki.
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holoholona. noun. Animal, beast.
For the glossary entry and more information, see holoholona.
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‘i‘iwa. noun. Scarlet honeycreeper. The red feathers of the ‘i‘iwa were used extensively in feather work. Some birds could have a few feathers plucked, then the bird was released and the feathers would regrow; however, since the choice feathers of the ‘i‘iwi covered most of their body, the ‘i‘iwa was captured and killed.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘i‘iwa.
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‘īlio. noun. Dog.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘īlio.
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‘io. noun. The Hawaiian hawk.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘io.
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‘iole. noun. Rat, mouse.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘iole.
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‘iwa. noun. Frigate bird, man-of-war bird. A predacious seabird with a wide wingspan. The wingspan of the male can reach 2.5 yards.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘iwa.
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Kamehameha. noun. The Kamehameha butterfly. One of two species of butterfly that is native to Hawai‘i. The Kamehameha butterfly (pulelehua) is shown in the picture above.
For the glossary entry and more information, see Kamehameha.
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kameleona. noun. Chameleon. Transliterated from the English "chameleon." The picture above shows a Jackson's chameleon. The Jackson's chameleon seems to have been introduced to Hawai‘i from Kenya via California during the 1970's.
For the glossary entry and more information, see kameleona.
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kao. noun. Goat.
For the glossary entry and more information, see kao.
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kōlea. noun. Pacific golden plover. A migratory bird.
For the glossary entry and more information, see kōlea.
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lanalana. noun. Spider. The picture above shows a cane spider. It got its name because it frequents the cane fields Hawai‘i, but they get around and the cane spider can be found just about everywhere in Hawai‘i, even homes. It does not spin a web, but hunts at night for its food and will feed on just about any insect, including cockroaches. The cane spider is not venomous and are regarded as not being dangerous, in fact they are considered beneficial because they feed on insects. The cane spider is an introduced, alien species.
For the glossary entry and more information, see lanalana.
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lāpaki. noun. Rabbit, hare. Transliterated from English "rabbit." Shown above are the Roberts Hawaii rabbit logos. Why is the rabbit sprinting and why is the rabbit waving? Roberts Hawaii was started in 1941 on the island of Kaua‘i by Robert Iwamoto, Sr. as a two car cab company. In the 1960's they expanded their company to O‘ahu and other Hawaiian islands. In the 1970's, Roberts purchased a small fleet of luxary motor coaches and became direct competitors of the much larger, mainland based company Greyhound Tours whose logo was (and is) a sprinting greyhound
. Robert Jr. was in Mexico watching the dog races and he noticed that the greyhounds never caught the rabbit, so Roberts Hawaii adopted a sprinting rabbit as their logo. Just that would make a good story, but it gets better. Many years later when Greyhound ceased its operations in Hawai‘i, Roberts Hawaii included the waving rabbit on the back of their coaches. The rabbit is waving "aloha" and "goodbye" to Greyhound. And now you know why the rabbit is waving! Don't take my word for it, visit their website. Today Roberts Hawaii is the largest tour and transportation company in Hawai‘i. Their story is a great American and Hawai‘i success story and they did it with a little humor.
For the glossary entry and more information, see lāpaki.
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lio. noun. Horse.
For the glossary entry and more information, see lio.
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liona. noun. Lion. Transliterated from the English "lion."
For the glossary entry and more information, see liona.
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meli. noun. Bee.
For the glossary entry and more information, see meli.
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moa. noun. Chicken.
For the glossary entry and more information, see moa.
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moa kāne. noun. Rooster.
For the glossary entry and more information, see moa kāne.
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mo‘o. noun. Lizard, any kind of reptile.
For the glossary entry and other possible meanings, see mo‘o.
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nalo. noun. Housefly, fly.
For the glossary entry and more information, see nalo.
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nēnē. noun. Hawaiian goose.
For the glossary entry and more information, see nēnē.
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‘ōpe‘ape‘a. noun. Bat.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōpe‘ape‘a.
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pelehū. noun. Turkey. Literally "swollen (pele) swelling (hū)."
For the glossary entry and more information, see pelehū.
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pīkake. noun. Peacock. Transliterated from English "peacock."
For the glossary entry and more information, see pīkake.
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pipi. noun. Cattle, ox. Transliterated from English "beef." The image above shows a cow which is pipi wahine, literally "female beef." A bull is called a pipi kāne, literally "male beef."
For the glossary entry and more information, see pipi.
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pipi kuapu‘u. noun. Bison. Literally "beef (pipi) [with] humped (pu‘u) back (kua)."
For the glossary entry and more information, see pipi kuapu‘u.
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pōpoki. noun. Cat. Transliterated from the English expression "poor pussy."
For the glossary entry and more information, see pōpoki.
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pua‘a. noun. Pig.
For the glossary entry and more information, see pua‘a.
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pueo. noun. Hawaiian owl.
For the glossary entry and more information, see pueo.
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pulelehua. noun. Butterfly, moth, the Kamehameha butterfly. Pulelehua is a contraction of pulelo (float) and lehua (the flower). The butterfly floats from lehua flower to lehua flower.
For the glossary entry and more information, see pulelehua.
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‘ūhini. noun. Grasshopper, locust.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ūhini.
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‘uku. noun. Louse, flea.
For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘uku.
animal. See holoholona.
bat. See ‘ōpe‘ape‘a.
beast. See holoholona.
bee. See meli.
bison. See pipi kuapu‘u.
butterfly. See Kamehameha / pulelehua.
cat. See pōpoki.
cattle. See pipi.
chameleon. See kameleona.
chicken. See moa.
cockroach. See ‘elelū.
crow. See ‘alalā.
dog. See ‘īlio.
flea. See ‘uku.
fly. See nalo.
fox. See ‘alopeke
frigate bird. See ‘iwa.
goat. See kao.
goose. See nēnē.
grasshopper. See ‘ūhini.
hawk. See ‘io.
horse. See lio.
housefly. See nalo.
lion. See liona.
lizard. See mo‘o.
locust. See ‘ūhini.
louse. See ‘uku.
man-of-war bird. See ‘iwa.
mouse. See ‘iole.
mule. See hoki.
owl. See pueo.
ox. See pipi.
pacific golden plover. See koleā.
peacock. See pīkake.
pig. See pua‘a.
plover. See koleā.
rabbit. See lāpaki.
rat. See ‘iole.
reptile. See mo‘o.
rooster. See moa kāne.
scarlet honeycreeper. See ‘i‘iwa.
sheep. See hipa.
spider. See lanalana.
turkey. See pelehū.

