Harlequin Shrimp.
A pair-bonded reef predator that hunts only sea stars, flipping them upside-down and eating them slowly over days.
Harlequin shrimp are some of the most ornate animals on the reef, painted in bold patches of cream, blue and pink with broad flag-like claws. They live in mated pairs that defend a small reef territory together for life.
Their entire diet is sea stars. Working as a pair, they flip a sea star upside-down so it cannot escape, then slowly eat it tube-foot by tube-foot. A single sea star can feed a pair of shrimp for several days.
Because of their specialized diet, harlequin shrimp populations track sea star populations. They are uncommon but can be found in pairs on Hawaiian reefs, especially around boulder fields where their preferred prey is abundant.
More species in this group.
Day Octopus
A daytime hunter and master shapeshifter, Hawaiʻi's most commonly seen octopus can change color and texture in under a second.
Chambered Nautilus
A living fossil whose ancestors swam alongside dinosaurs, the nautilus drifts through deep reefs in a perfect spiral shell.
Hawaiian Bobtail Squid
A thumb-sized squid that hides in plain sight using bioluminescent bacteria to erase its own shadow under the moon.
Textile Cone Snail
A beautiful but dangerous predator that fires a venomous harpoon to paralyze fish — and whose toxins inspire modern medicine.