The heʻe (octopus) can change its color, texture, and shape in the blink of an eye, and it's one of the most fascinating animals on Hawaiʻi's reefs.
You can snorkel right past one without ever knowing it's there. One moment it's a patch of rough brown rock, the next it's a rippling swirl of color gliding across the reef. The heʻe has long been one of my favorite subjects to create, and this month's Species Spotlight takes a closer look at this clever, shape-shifting neighbor.
The Octopuses of Hawaiʻi
More than 70 kinds of cephalopods (octopus, squid, and their relatives) have been recorded in Hawaiʻi's waters, but two octopuses are the ones most people meet.
Day octopus (heʻe mauli). This is the octopus you're most likely to spot while snorkeling. It hunts crabs, snails, and small fish across the reef, mostly in the early morning and late afternoon, then tucks into a crevice to rest. Most weigh four to five pounds, with arms spanning up to three feet. A tip for finding one: look for a little pile of empty shells outside a hole in the reef. That's often the leftovers from an octopus's meals.
Night octopus (heʻe pūloa). As its name suggests, this octopus comes out after dark. It has long, slender arms and a reddish body speckled with white spots, and it's a favorite sighting on night snorkels and dives.
A Few Remarkable Facts
Their arms can think for themselves. An octopus has more than 500 million neurons, and most of them are in its arms. Each arm can sense, react, and work on a task on its own.
They're masters of disguise. Octopuses can change the color and texture of their skin in an instant to match rock, coral, or sand, hiding from predators and sneaking up on prey.
They have no bones. The only hard part of an octopus is its beak, so it can squeeze through any gap its beak fits through.
They're problem solvers. Octopuses can learn by watching, use tools, and solve puzzles.
They live fast. A day octopus lives only about a year. A mother guards her eggs for weeks without eating, and her life ends as her young hatch.
Heʻe in Hawaiian Culture
In Hawaiian tradition, the octopus is closely tied to Kanaloa, the deity of the ocean. The heʻe is one of Kanaloa's kinolau, the many physical forms a deity can take.
The heʻe was also an important food, and Hawaiians knew exactly when to look for it. An old saying links the flowering of sugarcane to the arrival of octopus on the reef. Sugarcane often blooms in November, when heʻe were thought to be most plentiful, which makes this the perfect month to celebrate them.
The word heʻe also means "to slide" or "to slip," and it gives us heʻe nalu, the Hawaiian word for surfing: sliding on a wave. You can read more about that in my post on surfing in Hawaiʻi.
Seeing Heʻe Respectfully
Watch, don't touch. Reaching into a reef hole can harm both the octopus and the coral.
Give them room. A stressed octopus may flee or ink, which costs it energy it needs to hunt.
Leave the reef as you found it. Don't move rocks or shells, since they may be part of an octopus's home.
From the Reef to the Studio
The heʻe's curling arms and shifting colors have inspired more of my pieces than almost any other animal. You'll find it throughout the shop, from the "Heʻe" Octopus Trinket Dish and "Little Heʻe" Ring Holder to the "Golden Heʻe" and "Tentacles in Motion" resin surfboards. Explore the Heʻe Collection.
Have you ever spotted an octopus on the reef? Tell us about it on Instagram. Next month's Species Spotlight: naiʻa, Hawaiʻi's spinner dolphins.
You might also enjoy:
The Sea Turtles of Hawaiʻi, last month's Species Spotlight
Source: Day Octopus, Maui Ocean Center.
