Other Wildlife
- Groups of naiʻa (Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris) play close to shore in spring and summer, entertaining visitors with leaps and spins.
- Endangered koholā (Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae), which migrate from Alaska to Hawaiʻi each year to mate, give birth, and rear their young, swim offshore from December to April. Koholā can be seen offshore of Kīlauea Point from November to April. Prime time for whale watching is between January and March.
- ʻIlio-holo-i-ka-uaua (Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monachus schauinslandi) can occasionally be seen hauling out on rocks below the cliffs. Most of these endangered seals live in the remote northwestern area of the Hawaiian Islands and are a rare sight on Hawaiʻi's main islands.
- Honu (Green turtle, Chelonia mydas) sometimes bob in the waves below Kīlauea Point. Although turtles may be seen mating in Kauaʻi waters, honu typically mate and nest at the place of their birth in the French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Read more about this topic: Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
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