Fish and Wildlife Fact Sheets by Guampedia

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F I SHAND WI LDTI FEFAC TSHEET ' TABLEOF CONTENTS '' ::

A b u b o nPap a g o '(Jellyfishes) " . .............. . . . . ., ., t. , AlilengTulompo(Trochus) 2 Atuhong(HumpheadParrotfish) 3 Atulai(BigeyeScad) 4 B a l A te'( Sea Cu p umbe$.......... 5 BAtto/Guihan LAyak(Billfishes) 6 Botague(MAhimAhi) 7 Cha'guanTAsi(Seaweeds) I Cho'cho'(Corals).,.:i... I .......... .. . . . . .1. 0 C r o wn - o f- Tho r ns Starfish .. . . . . .1 1 D e e pwa ter Sn a p pers ...... . . . .1. .2 G Ad ao( Gr o u p e r s) G Am so n( Octop u s) ".... . . . .1. .3 ...... . . . . .1. .4 G u i l i( R ud d e r fi sh) .."..... . . . . .1. .5. H a g ga n( Gr e e nSeaTurtle) H a g g a nKa r a i( H awksbill S eaTurtle)."........ . . . . .1. .6. . ( Gr a y H a l u 'u R ee fS hark) .........." . . . . . .1.7. . . H a n go n( Or a n g e spine ............."........18 Unicornfish) H i ma( G i an tCla m s) .. .. . . . . .1 9 d urgeonfish) H i y o k( Bl ue b a n S ................. . . . . . 2 . .0. . . . . K a k a'ka '( Sna p pers) .. . . . . . . . 2 1 K a r a ko (t C on eSh ells) ......22 K i c h u( Co n vict Tang) .. . . . . . . 2 3 P arrotfish) L Ag gua( Ste e p h ead .." . . . . . , . 2 4 L A' o n( Se aUr ch ins) .. . . . . . . . 2 5 M a f u te'ilililo t< /MAHA tangon(E mperors) ....... . . . . 2 . .6. M a r i neH ab itats ......... . . " . . . . 2 7 (Bullethead Palakse'/MagAmham Parrotfish),......"...... 28 P o i s on o u R s ee fFishes(Ciguatoxic) .....^ .. ..... . . . .2. .9 P o i s on o u R s ee fFishes(Tetrodotoxic) ...".... . . . . . .3.0, . R e e fC r ustace a ns ..... . . . . .3. .1 ( Go a tfishes) .......32 Sa t mo n e ti ......,........... . . . . .3.3. . . . . Se s yo n/ H i te n g( Rabbitfishes) T a n gi son( Hu m p head Wrasse) ..... . . . . . . 3 4 T a r a ki tu( Bl ue fi nTrevally) ........... . . . .3. .5. . T a t a ga '( Bl ue sp ine Unicornfish) . ... ..... . . . . .3. .6 T o s on( Wah o o ) ......... . . . . . . . . 3 7 T u n as ..... . . . . . .3. .8 V e n o m o u sFish e s ..... . . . . " .3.9. Ababang(Blue-banded KingCrowButterfly) .."....a0 A c h i 'a k( Skin ksa n dA nole)............ "."."......... . . , . .4. .1. .

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Aga (MarianaCrow) A k a le h a(T ' re ea n d L a n dS n a ils .) . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . .4. 3 Ayuyu(CoconutCrab) ......44 B a b u e nHA t o mt A n(Wild o P ig ) . . , . . . . . . .4 . .5 e e r) B in A d u(P h ilip p inDe . . . .. . . . . . . . ....... 4 6 B la c kF ra n c o lin .. . . . . . . . . . . . .4. .7. Ch A ' k a(Ra t s / S h re ws. .). . . . . . . . " . . . . . . . . , . .4. ,8 Ch ic h irik (Ru a f o u sF a n t a il) .. . . . . . . . . . . . .4. .9. Ch u c h u k o ' (P a c ifRe ic e f -He ro n ) . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. 0 . Ch u g u a n g g u a n(G g u a mF ly c a t c h e.r). . .. . . . . . . .". . . .5 1 it eT e rn ). . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .5. .2. Ch u n g e(Wh ' .,. Du k d o k/ Uma n g(L a n dHe rmitCra b ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. 3 r o ld e n -P lo v e r) . . . . . . . . . , .5, .4 Du lili(L e s s e G n n e y e a t e.r). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .".......,.5 5 E g ig i(Mic ro n e s iaHo T re e -S p a rro.w. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. 6 E u ra s ia n .... 57 FAhang(BrownNoddy) ria n aF ru itB a t ) F a n ih (Ma i . .. . . . . . . " . . . . .5. 8 .. G u a li' e k(G e c k o s ) , . . . . . . . . . .5. .9 n it oLr iz a rd ) Hilit a(Mo i . . . . . .6 0 Kakkak(YellowBittern) .... 61 Karabao(WaterBuffalo) ..........62 K o ' k o ' (G u a mRa il). . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 6. .3. . K u le p b la(B ro wnT re eS n a k e ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6. 4 . Ng A n g a(Ma ria n aMa lla rd ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . .6. .5. re e d -Wa rb le. r) , , . . , . . . . . . . . . .6. 5 .. G a ' k a ris u(Nig h t in g a le No s s a ' (B rid leWh d it e -E y e ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . .6. PalumanApAka'/Paluman Fache'(White-Throated G ro u n d -Do v e. .). . . . . . . . " . . . . . . .6 7 P a lu ma nS in is a(P h ilip p inTeu rt le -Do ve. ). . . . . . . . . .6. .8 PAng'lao(LandCrab) .......69 P u la t t a(Co t mmo nMo o rh e n ) . . . . . . . . . . . .7. .0 . . . . . . . . . . .7. .1 S a le nT a iwa n(B la c kDro n g o ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. .2. S A li(Mic ro n e s iaSnt a rlin g ) . . . . . . . . .7. 3 S a n y e ' y eo' r P a y u ' a k(S p id e rs ) S ih e k(Mic ro n e s iaKnin g f is h e 0. . . . . . . . . . ......". . . , - . . . .7. .4 TerrestrialHabitats Tot (Toadsand Frogs) ......76 ria n aF ru it -Do v e T o t t o (Ma t . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. .7. Ulo ' A t t e lo n (B q lin dS n a k e ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . .8. Ut a t < / F A k (Wh p e it e -T a ileTdro p ic b ird. .). . . . . . . . ........ . 7 9 YAyaguak(lslandSwiftlet) : , t , : , : . : . : ' i. . . i

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HUMPHEADPARROTFIS}I Tha:irrhnno cihal2pgsslof alltheparrotfishes,reachingaweightofatleastl5Cp:-.-:: i3<: C.l','oneOtner -'a'.a-l nrotrrficr tro tanniggl -:S -t.a 'S',-l ke S:a or HUmpheadWraSSe,reaches SUCha large Size Y ' ""' , n r-rtrrrr linnennr r + r nr rth l h i g k fl e Sh y l i p Sw h i l e th e atU hOnghaS averti C al headO' fr:a-::::-' -.= = t v|

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i s n o t c ove r e dby the lips, c o lo re d T ^ : . . ' : ishes,adultatuhongof boths e x e s a re s imila rly U n l i k em ostpa r r o tf pin k . T h e o u t e rs u rf a c eo f t h e re a { s -l t h e l e ad in ge d g eo f the headlightgreento whitespots T- = : Youngf ish,knownas pachak.aredullgrayto brownwithscattered beginsto developat a rathersmallsizeof abouteightinches. Mediumsized ro '. : - a are knownin Chamorroas patgonatuhong. Mostparrotf ishesfeedon the thinf ilmof algaescrapedf romthe outersurface of ss; r - :'. - -- , s o u t . ' . -: ' s on liv ec o ra ls .T h e c ru n c h in g thatfeedssubstantially i s t h e on lyp a r r o tfish quite fore''.e-,:'.. '="its humped to use lt is reputed for a distance underwater. heard can be pieces.A tuho n gt y p ic a lly t ra v e in l g ro u p sa o n g u o s e ': rl: : -' b e b r oke nin tom or emanageable '.'. ; - ? . . waryanddifficultto approachclosely.Ho','ie'.,e' seawardreefslopes,butareextremely t o s p e a rfs ' : -- : h a b i to f sle e p in gin largegroupsunderledgeswh e ret h e y a re a c c e s s ib le : k n o , , ' . : r o g ro u p s : : = : d e p t h s t h e y a re a t a ll can wipe out entir e e q u i pp e dsp e a r fi s hermen k n o wno f the bio logyof the atuhong,they pro b a b lyg ro ws lo wlya n d t a k e ma n yy e a rsi. -. . -. to overfishing. Todayt h e rea re v e ryf e w a t u h o n gle f t ,a n d mo s ic ' t " : s . t h e mhig hly vui ne r able partof the island. northern l e s s acce ssib le

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FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirsiproduced through Theor g nalFish& Wildlife Festoration Program, theSporlFish& Wildlife administered bytheDlvlsion ofAquatic ofIheDepanrnent ofAgriculture incollaboration w ththeGuam & W ldlifeResources Coastallanagement Program of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprintng (lVay 2002).xaslundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the Protection UntedStatesEnvironmental AgencyAward# 1V009063-02 throughthe A l ll nqui ri es E nvronmerta E ducatl on C ommi ttee oftheWaterP l anni ng C ommrttee. R esources, 192D ai ryFoad. maybe sentto the D vi si onol A quatc& Wi l dl i fe phone (671)735'3955i6. l\4angao.GuanT 96913.Tocontactthernby

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ATUTAI

BIGEYESCAD

foundin alltropicalseas.lt is in the The bigeyescador atulai,as it is calledin Chamorro,is an importanf=-oijOtisn it from of largeeye and compressed body helpdistinguish samefamilyas the jacks(i'e',etc.).The combination other mackerel-like scads.The scutes(a lateralrow of bony ridgedscalesforminga keel at the base of the tail) it fromsimilarlookingsmallmackerelsof the tunafamily. distinguish Atulaispendrnostof theirtime in deepnearshorewatersbeyondthe edgeof the reef.Duringcertaintimesof the year,they migrateto shallowbays and channels wherethey form largeschools.When inshore. they feed on smallbenthic(bottom-dwelling) invertebrates, foraminifera, and shrimp.Whenoffshore, theyfeedon zooplankton and fish larvae. Atulaireacha size of 15 inches(38 cm), but are rarelymore than 10 inches(25 cm) at Guam.On moonless nights,atulaibeyondthe reef,can be attractedto lightsset in the waterbeneathfishingboatsand caughtwith hookand line. Wheninshore,atulaiare harvestedby netsand hookand lineduringthe daytime.lt is not unusual to see a largecrowdof anglersfishingfor atulaiin and aroundthe HagAtfraBoat Basinarea when atulaiare running. Chamorroscallthis"tiemponatulai"or atulaitime. Sometimesa largenet is set acrossan entirebayto trapthe atulai.A largegroupof peoplehelpclosethe netand harvestthe atulai.Severalthousandpoundscan be harvestedthis way. Atulaimay also move betweenislandsor islandgroupssincethey are not alwayspresentnearGuam.Littleis atulai,the bestmonths knownof theseoffshoremovements. Whilethereis no consistent seasonfor harvestinq for atulaifishingseemto be fromAugustto November.

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FactSheets TheoriginaFish& Wildlife werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Progrdm, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic Resources & Wildlife oftheDepartment of.Agriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal l\,4anagement Program (May of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting pursuant 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmenlal Protection Agency to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192DairyRoad. Mangilao, themby phone(671)735-3955i6. Guam96913.Tocontact

BALATE'

SEACUCUMBER getate',uJ if'"y are called in Chamorro,belong to a group of animals knbwn as echinoderms which also includel sea urchinsandstarfishes. Thewordechinoderm means"spinyskin" and refersto the bony plates,spines,or spiculeswhicheither coveror are imbeddedin the skin.Echinoderms alsohavea body :,plao based on radial symmetry in which many of the body 'parts are arrangedsymmetrically likespokes radiatingfrom a commoncenter.Echinoderms do not have a brain, eyes, or ears, but have a nervenetworkthatenablesthemto function.

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BalAte'are large elongateechinoderms that have small bony spiculesembedded in the skin.Thereare at least40 kindsof balAte'onGuam.Mosthavea roughleatheryskinwithtinytubed feet on the underside. Many kinds of balAte' have delicatebranching tentacles the mouth.Theseare usedto filterpafiiculate matter surrounding and planktonfromthe wateror to rubagainstthe bottomand are thrustone at a time intothe mouthwherethe food is wipedotf. O t h e rk in d sh a v ea s imp leh o lef o r a mo u t ha n d in g e s ts a n do r debrisfromthe bottom.The organicmatteris digestedand a trail of sand is expelledfromthe oppositeend.

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Thereare also many kindsof balAte'thatcan ejectfilamentsof an extremelystickyand irritatingsubstancewhen drsturbed. S o me e v e n e je c t t h e e n t ire d ig e s t iv e t ra c t wh i c h c a n b e regenerated. Thisis an effective defenseagainstmostpredators. Membersof the familySynaptidae havea thin delicateskinwith tinysharp spiculeswhichcan breakoff and irritatethe skin.The largesynaptidcucumber(Synaptamaculata)canstretchits body t o a le n g t ho f p e rh a p s6 f e e t (1 . 8m) a n d is c o mm o ni n s h a l l o w weedy and sandyareas. Manyof the larger kindsof balAte'can be driedand eatenand are considered a delicacyby the Chinese.

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D 'Y N AP T I

C U C U MB E R 'E maculata ta A Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSpoftFlsh& Wildlife Restoration Progran, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture lncoliaboration withtheGuam Coastal l\,4anagement Program of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (l\,4ay 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam969'13. Tocontact themby phone(671)735-3955/6

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BATTO,/GUIHANLAYAK

BITTFISHES

fisheswiththeupperjawextended aresleekt-ha-like Billfishes intoa long,bonyspear, '::':-=:::::=: :': '

There are six kinds.o{ billfishesfound in Guam'swaters:The mostabundantkind is the Indo-Pacific bluemarlin.Sailfishare relativelyuncommonand spearfish,blackmarlin,and striped alsooccurson Guam, marlin are rare.The broadbillswordfish but only in the deeper,coolerwatersfishedby longline.All billfishesare highly migratory, and all but the swordfishare caughtby trollingwith luresor livebait.

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The lndo-Pacific bluemarlinor GuihanLAyakas it is calledin Chamorro,is the world'slargestspeciesof billfish,reachinga fork lengthof nearly15 feet (4.6m) and weightof about2,500 pounds(1,134kg; measuredfromthetip of the lowerjaw to the notchin the middleof thetail).The largestevercaughton sport fishingtackleweighed1,805pounds(819kg).For manyyears worldrecordwas heldby a 1,153pound(523kg) the all-tackle fish caughtoff Guam. BAtto'occur in all warm seas with temperaturesabove 68 (20'C).Theyinhabitoffshorewatersfromthe surfaceto depths of over600feet (182m).GuihanLAyakfeedprimarilyon tunas and otherpelagicfishes,and to a lesserextent,on post-larval reeffishes and squids.They grow rapidly,reachinga weight .ofabout100 pounds(45 kg) by the age of fourto eightyears. Femalesgrowfasterandattaina muchlargersizethando males wh ic h o n ly re a c h a we ig h to f a b o u t 3 0 0 p o u n d s( 1 3 6 k g ) . F e ma le sc a n liv e f o r mo re t h a n 1 6 y e a rs . B A t t o ' a r e m o s t abundantnearGuamduringthe summermonths.Mostof the marlinare malesweighingbetween100 to 200 locally-caught pounds(45to 90 kg).Recentannuallandingsby the localsmall boatfleethave rangedfrom 15 to 68 tons (14 to 62 MT). Guihan LAyakoccur in all seas warrnerthan 72 (22"C) and seemto be mostabundantnearlandmasses,occasionally in watersas shallowas 40 feet (12 m). They feed primarilyon pelagicfishesand squids,butoccasionally feedon bottomfishes The sailfishis thefastestfishknown,capable and crustaceans. of speedsas highas 68 milesper hour(109kmihr).They are caughtthroughoutthe year in Guam's waters,but are never abundantwith annualcatchesby the small boat fleet always belowthreetons.Sailfishreacha weightof 221 pounds(100 k g ). FactSheets werefirstcreated Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife andf irstproduced through theSportFish&Wildlife Restoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic incollaboration & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture withtheGuam Coastal Management Program o{theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprintng (t\,,lay 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmeDtal Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# [/009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee ofthd;Water Planning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionoi Aquatic& WildlifeFlesources, 192 DairyRoad Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phon€(671) 735-3955/0.

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BOTAGUE

MAHIMAHI

throughout muchof the world,is The mahimdhior botague,as it is calledin Chamorro,alsoknownas dolphinfish an importantfood and game fish found in all tropicafseas. lt migratesinto temperateseas duringthe warmest monthsof the year. Botagueare surfacedwellingfish of the open sea, oftenfound nearfloatingobjectswhich attractand offerlimitedprotectionto the smallfishesuponwhichihey feed.They feed primarityon flyingfishes, rvhichare followedeven when in flightand seizedas they drop back into the lvater. This requiresexcellent eyesigh:and the abilityto swimat speedsas highas milesper hour (80 km/hr). Botagueare migratoryand highly seasonalin Guam's waters,althougha fer,voccurthrouEhout the year. Theyare rnostabundantfromFebruaryto Apriland mostoftencaughtwhenthe wateris mooeratelg' rough.In the when the bulkof the migrationis off soutfrerr-, nonthwest Pacific.botaguespawnin mid-summer Japan. Those produces rare near Each female up to several hu"d.eo that are readl,n to spawn are Guam. :it3-tsan3eggs. Juvenies tend to concentratearoundfloatingobjectssuch as seaweed,and may even ce ea:er :i adults. One aquarium -re a ref is d h g re wf ro mo n e t o 3 7 p o u n d st 1 7 < g ' e g h t - c n t h s . Bo t a gu egr o ,,,,'e xtremelyfast. rl\trd.d'-=e--CVI rt^r. ^- '- ^uecaughtinGuam'swaters a re le s s t h a n a y e a ro ldB. o t a g u e c a n ii' . e -: : : ' . :. E a ' s . c u t ( a r t r\ - ,"2 .^.4r tr an threeyears.Theycan rea c ha f o rkle n g t ho f 5 f e e t ,n in ein c h e s(1 . 7 5r: rn E a s ' r e df r o r l h e , s 335kgt. t : 9 : ' : "e s- c- lio the notchinthemiddleof the t a il). T h e la rg e s t b o t a g u e o n re c o rd we ig h ecocS: -l rE p rt ma rily i' c , ' - ' i h- r e s o r poun d s (2 a b v k g ). B o t a g u e a re c a u g h t a n 0 : r e a r je s: caJgrt near Guamwas , hre c e n ta n n u a lla n d llg sirc r s - a r o a t s nearGu a mis q u it ev a ria b lewit SC Ld, - he i ' ,'ea rlc vearabundance j:: i 'oy e a rs , (13 g o o d nc b o t a g u ela n d in g se x c e e dt h o s ec f a 3 l n s r 3 3 l r , , to 141 MT).I n ranE -155tons ,^ l --

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werefirstcreated Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets andf irstproduced through Restoration Program, administered theSportFish& Wildlife bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Management Program Coastal oftheButeauof Planning. Thisfourthprintng (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesErvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 t'r'o-gtstl^e Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Commlttee. Alllnquiries 192DairyFoad. may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources. Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6.

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CHA'GUANTA'I

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SEAWEEDS

,:, . "' "peaweed" or "cha'guantAsi"as theyare calledin Chamorro,are nThetenr"ns : popularlyappliedto any plant-like organismlivingin the ocean.In fact.most plants quite fromplantsfoundon land. Onlythe are different of thesemarine seagrasses are truefloweringplantssimilarin structureand lifestyleto most of the landplantswe arefamiliarwith.Thereareonlythreekindsof seagrasses on Guam.One of themgrowsin extensivebedswhichforma very important habitatfor juvenilefishes(seeMarineHabitats). PHa

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seaweedsare algaewhichare muchsimplerin structure Unlikebeagrasses, . andllaâ&#x201A;Źk,{rue roots,stemsand leaves.Some kindsof algaeare single-celled organismsthat livefreelyor form coloniesof brownto greenslime.Others of higherplantssuch as are largerand havevisiblestructuresreminiscent bladeswhich resembleleaves,holdfastsor rhizoidswhich resembleroots, and stipesthat resemblestems.Seaweedsabsorbnutrientsthroughtheir entireoutersurfaceratherthan throughrootsand their holdfastsare used Seaweedsdo not haveflowersor seeds,but reproduce onlyfor attachment. and sexuallyby means eitherasexuallyby meansof sporesor f ragmentation of gametes.All marineplantsare found only in water shallowenoughfor sunlightto reachthem.Likelandplants,theyformthe basisof thefoodchain. There are over 220 kindsof algaeon Guam.They are classifiedinto four (Cyanophyta) The blue-greens and lifestyles. divisions basedon pigmentation are primarily s in g le -c e lleodr c o lo n iaflro mst h a t ma y f o rms lim e sa n d s m a l l clumps. T h e g re e n s (Ch lo ro p h y t a ),b ro wn s (P h a e o p h y ta ) ,a n d r e d s (Rhodophyta) are generallylargertypicalseaweedsandare usuallythe color to their namesakes. closest Someof the greensand redsincorporate a great deal of calciumto give them a hard,segmentedstructure.Some reds,the corallinealgae,formhardcoral-like crustsor clumpsand kelp"cement"dead coral,rubble,and sand intolargerand harderstructures. Severalkindsof algaehavetraditionaluses.Some are ediblewhileothers are used as bait.The most commonediblekind is ado' or sea grapes,a greenalgaeso namedbecauseof its smallclustersof grape-likespheres. Recently,severalpeople died from ingestingan extremelytoxic poison associatedwith the red algae Polycavernosatsudai, a species that was commonlyharvestedand even sold in stores.Despiteextensivescientific study,the originand identityof the poisonremainsa mystery,andthisseaweed shouldno longerbe eaten.Many kindsof seaweedshave toxic properlies and witha longhistoryof safetyshouldbe and onlythoseproperlyidentified eaten.Some kindsof seaweedsare attachedto hook and line as bait for certainfishes.The slimystringygreen"lumot"is usedto catchadulthiteng and the hard,leafybrown"chaiguan"is used to and sesyon(rabbitfishes) (bluespine unicornfish). tataga' catch

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o, are members of a groupof animalscalled qffi*r€ke'inetuOes Animalsin this and Coelenterata iellWishes hvdrozoans. grouphavestinging Whena nematocyst isstimulated, cellscallednematocysts. a spinyspringlit<e structureevertsand inlectsa venom.Fire coralsare Theyare the onlycorals hydrozoans that producea hardstonyskeleton. a painfulstinq. capableof inflictinq of one or more animalscalledpolyps.Each polyp is hollow Cf{o'cE,H',-cgnsist mouthsurroundedby tentacles.The tentacles and hai a centrally-located containbatteriesof nematocysts usedfor defenseand feedingon plankton. Insteadof havingan internalskeletonfor supportlikewe have,a coralpolyp buildsan externalskeletonarounditselfout of a substancecalledcalcium carbonatewhich is basicallythe same thingas chalk,marbleor limestone. Cho'cho'polypsslowlyaccumulatesmallarnountsof the calciumcarbonate that are dissolvedin seawater.

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Thereare severalbasickindsof cho'cho'.The stonycoralshavepolypswith g f a n o u t e rla y e ro f liv in gp ol y p sw i t h a n multiples o f s ix t e n t a c le sc o n s is t in o attachedat the baseto a hardsurJace. internalskeletonof calcium-carbonate in c l u d et h e s o f t Thereare n e a rly3 0 0 k in d sin G u a m' swa t e rs . O c t o c o ra ls f a n s g o rg o n ia n s . h a v e p o l y p st v i t h c o mmo n ly c a lle d s e a a n d coralsand multiples of e ig h t e n t a c le sT h e rea res e v e ran! a o r ! ' c -: s c { c ci c c o r a l s , * i t h dozensor loc a s n e e ie sT.t reie a r' recrc ' a s a ' 3 s : : : : ' a s , ' , ' . ' z ' 3x : e e a t h e r v skeletoncon t a rn in ru g re rc u s e mb e d o e rs ric - e s : ' € J : ' J c ' a ^ s h a v e a harcjbu:flex iCe S < e , e : cO r fb la C<f ib 1 3 -S^ ra t e ' t a, [,1csis:c''. ' a ] ' a , sa l3 s o lre c c t c c o ra lsre q u rres u n , ig n i. Co ra , sa r e a n r m a l s . rut itsc< r: s : ^ a 1o: u C ' e e f sh a ' . , eii' rin gp la n t sin c o rp o ra ie ilc o :l e I t i s s u e s . T-ese p a ' : s , s n ' rc le s in g e -c e lle da lg a e c a lle d z o o x a n t he l l a el.i v e i n e . ea ll p la n t s .u s e r h e s u ns raile'slo ' , ' , ' i:trh e c o ra ls T . h e z o o x a n t h e lla lik p ro c e s s p h o t o s y n t h e s is T n. e s es u g a r s t h e o f e^ :'j),:3 3 ' o o u c es u g a rsb y r,vaste products. pi'c','rde needs.Inturn.thecoral's ruch of thecorals nutritional 0rmarriy c a rb o n d io x id e a n d n it ro g e n c o mp o u n d s . a re u s e d b y t h e zooxanthe lla e .

Guam has two types of coral reefs.The most commonis the fringingreef whichextendsout f romthe shoreas a shallowplatform.The otheris calleda barrierreef which extendsup from the sea bottomat some distanceaway fromthe islandand is separatedfromshoreby deepwater.The reefoutside CocosLagoon of Apra HarbornearCabraslsland,and the reefsurrounding important to our island becausethey are barrierreefs.Coralreefsare very serve as habitatfor the fish we eat and protectus from the poundingsurf when a big storm hits. Siltationand pollutionhave destroyedmany of our ' ':- :: reefsand it willtake hundredsof yearsbeforetheycan recover.lt is illggalto C OR A T yto Sarcoph' O F nT trachetIioph orum takeor destroycoral.Violatorsare subjectto arrest,finesand/orimprisonment.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through Program, theSporlFish& Wildlife Restoration administered bytheDivisonofAquatic Resources oftheDepartment & Wildlife olAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuarn Coastal l,4anagement Program of theBureau of Plannrng. Thrsfourthprinting (il/ay 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the Protection UnitedStatesEnvironmental AoencvAward# [/009063-02 throuohthe Environmental Education Planning Committee ofthe'Waier Committee. Allinq!lries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyFoad. Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6.

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CROWN-OF-THORN''TARF I' H 'at

Marin e Organi sm ,,===;+Y€=49=!!!ous The crown-of-thornsstarfish is a large,many-armed invertebratd?i€overed With long and sharpyenornous placed on the head of Jesus Christduringthe Crucitixion.This sprr:es.lt is named after the crown-of-thorns rnfarnouspredatorfeedsexclusivelyon livingcoralsby evertingits stomachover the coraland digestingthe soft largeconcentrations.appear trssue.lt is normallyuncommon,but periodically, on ceftainreefs.When in such nunnbers theymiy forma movingfrontthatadvancesalongthe reef,wipingout nearlyall the livingcoralin their path.Evidenceof recentpredationby the crown-of-thorns starfishis easilyseen in the formof nunnerous bleached conalskeletons.These bleachedcoralssoon get coveredwith greenfilamentousalgae and eroentually cnumble :rto nubblethat may form the foundationfor new coralcoloniesto settleand grow.Untilthe co:ars'etum. the 'irshesthat varietyof lishes and aestheticvalue of the reef is greatlydiminished,but populationsof herb!,.ool'outs feed on filamentous algaemay actuallyincrease.Needlessto say,the crown-of-thorns starfish1sconsderedan pest. unlvelcome infestationshas beenthe subject of intensiveresearch{or rar'', .,'Ea'sThe The cause of crown-of-thorns occurna'iura, weightof the evidenceindicateshumanactivityis the culprit.Althoughinfestations 1'"ihe, a'e rare increasec r.r,tn years. where there are 9^t e','es But in areas at an averageof onceevery400 events,occurring or otherland use practicesthat enhance soil erosion,n;esia:c's cccLr in the wateras a resultof agriculture f requentlyand the reefsmay nevercompletelyrecover.lt seemsthat the increasedlevelof r'rulr'€rrS 'a',rrs the larvaeor juvenilestarfishwhenthey settleon the reef and survivalof the planktonic development There are very few naturalpredatorsof the crown-of-thorns starfish.These includelargeh--',c-ea3 /,'asse (tangison)and two rare invertebrates, the tritontrumpet(a largeshell)calledkulo' rn Chancr'-. a.t :t': t -y ha r le q u in c o l o r Jul shrimp.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced througfr theSponFish& Wildlife Restoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAqualE Resources & Wildlife oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal [,4anagement Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (Ma./ pursuant 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencv to flre UnitedStatesEnvironnental P.otection AgencyAwaro# N/009063-02 t^ro-gt rl-e Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192DairyRoac. phone (671) Mangilao, themby Guam96913.Tocontact 735-395t6.

DEEPWATER 'NAPPER' t

Snappersare robust-bodiedhighly-valued food fishes.

. Thereareat least23 kindsof snappers in Guam'swaters,

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BU N I N A S A GA GA '(E H U ) Eteliscarbunculus

A B U N IN A ' (ON A GA ) Elerrscoruscans

f2 of whichlivein deepwater,primarilyat depthsof 500 to 1,200feet (152 to 366 m). They are caughtprimarilyby neardeep underwaterpinnaclesand cliffs. bottomfishing Thedeepwater snappersfeedprimarily on largeplanktonic animalssuchas larvalcrustaceansand tunicates(a jellylike animalthat feeds on zoopianktonfilteredfrom the water),but alsoeat otherfishes and crustaceans. The onagais the most highly-prized deepi,,ater snapper. Thisbeautifulfish reachesa lengtf.o' o','er.17 inches1120 c m) a n d we ig h t o f 4 4 p o u n d s r2 C < g r c r, : s r e l a t r v e l y u n c o mmo nT. h e le h ih a sa s imilasr i-a c ea rd a t s or e a c h e s ntore a largesize of 43 inches(1'10cn r l: -qsorrel',hali c o mmo nt h a n t h e o n a g a .T h e e h - s ' e : < 3 r ' â&#x201A;Ź 3 ^ a g a . b u td o e sn o td e v e lo plo n gt a ilf ila rn e ^ : s I J e : sa s a ' g e a s t h e o n a g a ,t o a t le a s t4 6 p o u n d st 2 " ,< J l J t s - s u a l l y mu c h s ma lle ra n d is c a u g h t rn o re" e : ! g -1, . l l ' ' i n 1 l s p re c e d in sg n a p p e rsT. h e y e llo v rt a<i a < a a^ r I ^ J a a r e the most frequentlycaught deep',,,'31gr. t :c-{ sr'es at G u a m.T h e ya re s ma lle rt h a n mo s to ' t n e ' '= z - . , : s .a r d reacha sizeof 18 and 20 inches.respect,,oe 'r' i5 c- and 50 cm). The pinkopakapakareachesa sizecf 3: .5 nches (80 cm) and age of 18 years. lt is lessofter caugh,t than the precedingtwo snappers.

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predatorsof fishesand invertebrates. Gddaoare robust-bodied, large-mouthed Theyare highlyvaluedfoodfishes caughtby bottomfishing or spearfishing. Thereare at least29 kindsof gAdaoin Guam'swaters.They inhabita varietyoi reefhabitatsrangingfrom shallowreefflatst6 depthsof oveieOOieet (244m). They are aggressive predatorsthat are amongthe firstto take a baitedhook.This aggresiveness also makesthem vulnerableto overfishing, and largekindsof gAdaothat takea longtimeto matureare no longercommonaroundGuam.The smallerkindsgrowfastand get a chanceto reproducebeforegettingcaught,so they remaincommon, GAdaoare sequentialhermaphrodites, thatis,theystartout as females,thenlaterchangesex to becomemales. grouper The marbled is typicalof many of the mediumto large kinds. lts crypticcolor of blotchesand spots makesit very difficultto see as it stalksprey or sits and waitsfor preyto come its way. lt inhabitswatersof deep lagoonsand the outer reefslopefrom belowthe surgezone to at least 150 feet (aOm) and reachesa size of 29 inches(73 cm). lt is a smallspeciesthatreaches The blacktippedgrouperis the mostcommonlycaughtgrouperby bottomfishing. a lengthof about14 inches(35 cm) and liveson the outerreefslopeat depthsof about33 to 525 feet (10 to 160 m).The honeycombgrouperis a smallspeciesthat reachesa lengthof 11 inches(28 cm). lt is quitecommonon reeff latsbut also inhabitsouterreefwatersto a depthof '165feet (50 m).

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& Wildlife Restoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlif-" Resources oftheDepartment of*griculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastai ivlanagement Program of theBuleauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (l\4ay 2002)was'unoedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuani to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Commrttee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6:

GA/v|'ON

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Octopusesor gdmsonas theyare calledin Chamorro,are mollusks,a largegroupwhichincludesclams,snails, and mostotheranimalspopularlyknownas "shells." GAmson,along yith sqinQs(calledngosngosin Chamorro), cuttlefishes, and nautiiusesbelongto the cephalopodclass.Cephalopodsare among the most intelligentof marineanimals.They havewell-developed eyes,a mouthwith a hard beak surroundedby tentaclesthat are armedwithnumeroussuckingdiscs,and a funnelconnectedto a hollowsacthatcan be used-topropelthe animal with a jet of water.Alf but the-nautiluses are ableto squirta blob of ink that helpsthem to escapetrom preOaiors. All of the localcephalopods are edible. GAmsonhaveeighiarmsanda distinctsac-likehead that containsall the animal'sorgans.Thereare at leasifive kindsof gAmsonin local waters,but only one is commonly seen or caught.lt reaches a large size,at least43 pounds(19.5kg)and over7 feet (2.1m)long from the tips of its tentaclesto the end of its head.llowever,individuals overfive pounds(2.3kg)are rare.Twoothersmallerspecies, the white spottedoctopus(Octopusmacropus)and webfootoctopus (Octopusmembranaceus)come out in the openprimarilyat night.At leasttwo other v e ry s ma ll s p e c ie s o f g A ms o n h a v e b e e n photographed or collectedin shallowreef waters. feedmainlyon crabsand shrimpsthatare Gâ&#x201A;Źrmson paralyzedby a venom as they are bitten.The beak is thenusedto punctureholesin the shellsand pick outtheflesh.GAmsonalsofeedon variousmollusks and fishes.

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Ngosngos(squid)arecloselyrelatedto gAmsonbut have10 tentaclesand an elongatebodywithfinsat the oppositeend.Twoof thetentaclesare retractible, longerthan the rest, and have pads armed with hooks and suctioncups at their tips. There are severallocal species,most with a body lengthof lessthana foot.Mostare foundin the opensea but a few occur on shallowreefs.Cuttlefishes(also calledngosngosin Chamorro)resemblesquids,but havea hardinternalshellmadeof calciumand a fin that is continuousaroundthe sidesof the body.One species,the broadclubcuttlefish(Sepratatimanus) re a c h e s a b o d y le n g t h o f 1 8 in c h e s ( 4 6 c m ) . Ngosngosare just as good to eat as gdmsonand are occasionally speared.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefjrstcreated andfirstproduced through theSponFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment incollaboration ofi{gricullure withtheGuam Coastal lVanagement Program oftheBur-q.au of Planning. Thisfqufh prjnting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedSlatesEnvironmental Proiection AgejicyAward# |V009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning CommilteeAllinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192DairyRoad, Mangiiao, Guam96913.Tocontact themby phone(671)

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"' Guiliare importanttraditionalfoodfishescaught.prr,rar:ily-..by taEya (cast*neQ,-=-lar.fishing,66Oi.od,and''pl'!p='..:.. Theyhave have.small,.mouths (shagedJilte primarily smallclosely-set incisiform smallmouthswithsmall closely-set incisiform teeth(shapedJke hurnanfront f rontteeth) fegglpr.ilna1i.!y..,. teeth).Theyfeed !urnan _fh"y on plants,including thethinlayerof greenfilamentous algaeas wellas on largerseaweeds. Theyalsoeatsmall bottornlivinganimalsand sewage. They are most numerousalong',thb reef marginand steep rockyareaswhich are oftenwave-swept and dangefgus., lt takesgreatskillwiththe talAyato catchthem.Youngguiliare commonly foundfar out at sea beneathfloatingdebris. Therearethreekindsof guiliin the Marianasbutonlytwo arecommon.Theyarethe highfinrudderfish (Kyphosus cinerascens)and the lowfinrudderfish(K. vaigiensrs).They can be distinguished by the heightof the soft-rayed portionof the dorsal(uppe| fin. On the highfinrudderfish,this part is nearlytwiceas highas the spinypartof the dorsalfinand on the lowfinrudderfish, bothpartsare aboutequalin height. phaseoccasionally All threeguilihave both lightsilvery-gray and dark colorphasesas well as a light-spotted guili not by local fishermen, the colorphasesare. Althoughthe speciesof are distinguished seen underwater. The lighterphaseis knownlocallyas guiliand the darkphaseis knownas guilenpuengi(puengiis the Chamorro they move word for nightor dark).Chamorroscallsmallguiliunderabout10 inches(25 cm) 'geppan'because reachesa lengthof about19 inches(48cm) and rapidlyaboutthe upperportionof the reef. The highfinrudderfish the lowfinrudderfishreachesa lengthof about26 inches(66 cm).

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TheoriginaFish& Wildlife FactSheets weref irstcreated andf irstproduced throughr theSportFish& Wildlife Program, Restoration administered bytheDivision ofAquatic: & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartraent otAgncullure incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal l\,4anagement Program oftheBut€auof Planning. (May Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnviron$enJal pursuant Protection Agency to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# |V009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee ofthe-Water Planning Commiftee. Allrnquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, f92 DairyRcad, Ulangilao. Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6.

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HAGGAN

GREENSEATURTTE

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The greensea turtle,or "haggan",is the most commoniysightedturtlein Guam'swaters.They frequentthe shallowreefareasaroundGuamwhileforagingfor marinealgaeand seagrass.Fullygrownadultscan have a shelllengthof fourfeet (1.2m) and can weighover300 pounds(136kg).Sea turtlesare longlivedanimalsand growreasonably slowaveragingabout0.4 inches(1 cm) ayear untilmatureand then0.2 inches(0.5cm). Using thesegrowthrates,the largeradultsare wellover50 yearsof age.The hagganis characterized by a shellcolored with mottledshadesof brownand a whiteto yellowunderside. The shellplatesare fusedwith no overlap,points or protrusions.The headhas two platesbetweenthe eyesand eachflipperhas onlyone claw. Theseturtlesspendmostof theirlivesin the oceanbutonceadults,willreturneveryfew yearsto the beachwhere they were born.Matingtakesplacea monthor two priorto egg layingnearthe nest site and matingcontinues throughthe egg layingcycle.Femalesmust be on the average,23 yearsold to reach32 inches(81 cm), the averagesizeat firstmaturity. The female,oncefertile,willcrawlontoa sandyshorelineand use herf lippersto dig a largepit abovethe high-water linenearsomevegetation. She will lay between40-140eggsdependingon her size.and then coverthemwith sand. A femalecan lay as manyas six clutchesof eggs in one nestingseason, whichrunsfromAprilthrough Julyon Guam.The eggstake50 to g0 daysto hatchdependingon conditions.The eggs will hatchnear sunrisewhen two-inch(5 cm) long hatchlingsemergefrom theireggs,dig up throughthe sand,and starttheirjourneyto sea. Hagganstillneston some of Guam'smore remotebeachesthroughout the i s l a n d. Turtlemeatand turtleegEswereonce prizedfoodsourceson Guam.The shellswereusedfor decorativepurposes. Wo rld -wid ec o n c e r n f o r overharvesting resultedin the hagganbeinglistedon t h e F e d e ralT h r e a t e n e d S p e c ie s L ist a n d G u a m Endangered SpeciesList. I t is ille g a l t o c a p t u r e , harass,possess,buy,sell, or transportthe hagganor any part thereofincluding but not limitedto eggs, shells, shelljewelry,and meat.

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TheoriginaF sh & WildifeFactSheets werelirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& Wildlife Restoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastall\,4anagement Program oflheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting ([/ay 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Comrnittee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allrnquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WldlifeFlesources, 192DairyRoad, Mangilao. Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.-..

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The hawksbillsea turtle,or "haggankarai"as it is knownin Chamorro,is lesscommonaroundGuamthan the greenseaturtle(haggan)but is notconsidered rare.Considerably smallerthanthe haggan,a fullygrownhaggan karaireachesa weightof only about100 pounds(45 kg) with a maximumshelllengthof 2.5 feet (76 cm;.-itre haggankaraifeedsprimarily on spongesandthereforeis mostf requently observedin harborsand lagoonswhere spongesare abundant. The uppersurfaceof the haggankaraiis mottledbrownand the undersideis strawyellow.The shellplatesand edgesoverlapforminga semi-jaggededge towardthe back end of the shell.There are four platesn"t*""n if"re eyesand two clawson eachflipper. Haggankaraispendmostof theirlivesin the ocean,but everyfew yearswill migratebackto the beachwhere theywereborn.The femalecrawlsashoreon a sandybeachand usesherflippersto dig a largeholein the sand abovethe high-water linenearsomevegetation. She laysabout100eggswhichshe coverswithsand. The eggs take about60 daysto hatch.Nearsunrise,the two-inch(5 cm) longhatchlingsemergefrom theireggs,dig up throughthe sand,and starttheirjourneyout to sea."Haggankarai"stilloccasionally neston Guam. Tuftlemeat and turtleeggs were once prizedfood sourceson Guam and the shellswere used for decorative put'poses. The "haggankarai"has beenplacedon the Federaland localEndangered Specieslists.lt is illegalto capture,possess,buy,sell,or transportthe "haggankarai"or any partthereof,includingbut not limitedto shells, shelljewelry,and meat.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheetswere{irstcreated andftrstproduced throuoh theSpo'tFis.r& WildifeFestoration P.ogram, administered bytheDivision ofAquaiic & Wildl'fe Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration wit4tneGuam C-oastal l\,4anagement Program oftheBureauof planning. Thisfqurthprinting (May protection 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Agencypursuant to the UnitedStalesEnvironmental Protection AgeacyAward# N/009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic&=Wildtiie Resources, 1'gz:Dairv Road. Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phono(671)735-395$10:

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Sharksor halu'u(a generaltermusedby Chamorrosfor all sharks),differfromotherfishesin manyways. Their skinis coveredwithtinydermaldenticlesthatare structurally similartoFe{h.Thisgivestheskina rough,sandpaperliketexture. The teethare actuallymodifieddermaldenticlesthatare contirruouslv formedin rowson the inner surfaceof the jaws. Whenan outertoothis lost,the nextavailableinnertoothtakei its place.The finsof sharks havethe same skin and textureas the restof the bodyand are stillat theirbasesso they can'tbe foldedas in mostotherf ishes.A complexsystemof poresaroundthe headand sides,coupledwitha pairof innerearsenable sharksto detectthe vibrationsand soundsproducedby fishesand otheranimalsat greatdistances.At closer range, an acute sense of smell enables halu'u to detect minuteconcentrations oJbloodor otherbody fluids from potentialprey. Sightis limitedby the clarityof the water. At closerange,halu'uhavean amazing to "Oitity detectthe minuteelectrical fieldsgivenoff by all livingcreatures.This enablesthemto locateprey in compiete darknessor hiddenbeneaththe sand. Somehalu'umay alsouse anomoliesin the magneticfieldof the earthto navigatein what we perceiveto be featurelessopen sea. Thereare over 12 speciesof halu'uin Guam'swaters. Mostare harmlessunlessstimulated or provoked. The reef whitetipshark (Triaenodonobesus), reef blacktip shark (Carcharhinusmelanopterus)and gray reef shark are the mostcommonsharkson shallowreefs.Theyare small,reachinga lengthof aboutsix feet (1.8m). The gray reefsharkcan be quiteaggressive and territorial and has beenknownto causeseverebut non-fatalbites. The other two generallyflee when approached. The tiger shark (Galeocerdocuvieri)is our most dangerous species.lt growsto a lengthof about18 feet (5.5m),willeat almostanything,and has beenknownto attackand eat divers.Fofiunately, it spendsmostof the daylighthoursin waterover200 feet(60 m) deepwhereencounters with humansare unlikely. However,it occasionally entersshallowwaterat nightor anytimewhen attractedby dead animalsor garbage,or when breeding. Halu'uare at the top of the coralreeffood chain. They playan impoftantrolein the balanceof natureandshouldnotbe indiscriminately killed. Halu'uare extremelyvulnerable lo ovedishing. Althoughthey aregenerallynotkeptforfood,theyareoftenkilledwhencaughtso theirpopulation is lowerherethan in moreremoteareas.

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,,, ::.i, Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through. theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatie: & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartmentoi.Agficulture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastallvlanagement Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfoufthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# l\.4009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Commiitee oftheWâ&#x201A;ŹterPlanning Committee. Alltnquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildliteResources, 192..Dairv Ftoad, Mangilao. Guam96913.Tocontact themby pnone(671)735-3955/6.

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The hangon,as it is calledin Chamorro,is a popularfoodfish.lt is one.ofa groupof so-calledunicornfishes that do notdevelopa hornon the forehead. Mostunicornfishes havetwo pairsof sharpblade-like spinesat the base of the tail. Theseare usedfor defenseand can easilycut the handof a carelessfisherman,The orangecolor aroundthe base of the tail may seryeas a warningto potentialpredatorsthat'itis dan$erousto captureind eat. Adult hangon develop long trailingfilamentson the top and bottomof the tail and reacha lengthof about 12 inches(30cm),excluding thetailfilaments. Hangon inhabitshallowreefs,usuallyin areasof clearwaterwith a hard-bottomand coral growthto a depthof at least150feet (aOm). Theyfeedon filamentous algaethat theyscrapefromthe surfacesof deadcoraland rock.Theyoccursinglyor in groups and sleepamongcoralsat night.Smallhangonare suitabl" u[r"riumfishes. ". Largerhangonare apopularfoodfish.They are capturedprimarilybyspear{ishing and occasionally by gillnetor surroundnet. At leasttwo otherkindsof unicornf ishes have a smoothhead profile,the smoothheadunicornfish(Nasohexacanthusland the Gray unicornfish(N. caesius),both calledtataga'tahdong,but they lack the orangemarkingsof the hangorr.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSpo( Fish& WildlifeRestoration Progr.am; adminislered bythebivisionofAquaiic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam coastall\ilanagement Program of theBureauof PJanning. Thisfourthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental ProtectionAgency Award# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee ofthe-Water Planning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof AquaticI WildlifeResources, 192rairy Road, Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)

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€OAIMON GIANT CLAM Tridacnamaxima

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"hima,"have been importantto Giant clams,known in C,hamorro.,as ''thepeopleof Guamfor manyyears and are stillconsidereda prized ' .delicacy.Some eat the entiremeat of the clam but usually the two large white abductormusclesare the choicestpartsfor ""ting. ...:G:H€rTr is known to have had at least four kinds of hima: Tridacna maxima, Tridacnasquamosa,Tridacnagigas, and Hippopushippopus. ,. .,,Thelattertwo speciesare believedto be extincton Guam, probably ' because they were overharvested. The remainingtwo are stillfound in our waters.The largerof the two, Jl squamosais rare, and the smallerone, f maxima,livestightlyattachedto rocksand coralon the ocean floor.They are most commonin areas of strongwater movementor in shallowwatersbeyond the reef.The lagoongiant clam, Tridacna derasa,which is plentifulin Palau,was intentionally in raisingtheseclams introduced to Guam.Palauhasbeensuccessful and sellingthem to other islandssuch as Guam to help establish themon theirreefs.

FLUTEDGIANT CIAM Tridacnasquamosa

Himahavea thickhardhingeon bothhalvesof the shellwhichcan be grounddownto maketools.Traditionally, Chamorroscollectedhima from reefflats.Afterthe meatwas taken,the shellswere made into too ls . Hima u s e s u n lig h t o g ro w.T h e y c o n t a inp la n t c e l l s c a l l e d "zooxanthellae" whichusethe sun'senergyto producesugarswhich are used as food by the clam. Hima grow best in areaswith clear waterand plentyof sunlight.Evenunderthe bestconditions, it takes manyyearsfor them to reacha largesize. On Guam,himacan only be takenfor homeconsumption fromApril harvestis prohibited throughJuly. Commercial by law.Theymustnot be s ma lle trh a n5 . 9 in c h e s(1 5c m) a n d n o la rg e rt h a n1 1. 8 i n c h e s( 3 0 cm). Only20 pounds(9 kg)of shellscan be takenper day duringthe season.Thereare areason Guam wherethe harvestingof hima is prohibited.Harvestersshouldcheckwith the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResourcesfor moreinformation on himaregulations and areas closedto harvestino.

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TAGOON GIANT CIAM Tridacnaderasa

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic Wildlife & Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program oftheBureauof Planning, (l\4ay Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental pursuant Protection Agency to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913.Toconlactthemby phone(671)735-3955i6.

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gettheirname..froma pair of sharp retractible Surg,eonfishes bladelikespinesat the baseof the tail. Tl-lese are. usedfor defenseand can easilycutthe handof a carelessfishermar+The blade.ofthe hiyokis hiddenin a groove

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Hiyok occurinareasofshallow clearwater thatgetsome*"u" uafion. Theyur".ort common along theseaward

reefmargin,but may alsooccuron outerreefflatsand the upperedgeof lagoonreefs.Theyare usuallyfoundin

framentoui arsae crofped from :fl": ?;::::':?l-l:'f :l of the surfaces of dead r.'"? coral '^"."::j,':'li: or rock. They 111 are '^"j::1'-':"5:.fi:1"':* among the more aggressive surgeonfishesand def-e1da patch of reefagainstotheralgae-eatingtisfres sucfr as parrotfishes, rabbitfishes, and other surgeonfishes. Smallhiyokare popularaquariumfishes, but requirea largetankwithclear,welloxygenated water.Hiyokreacha lengthof about11 inches(28 cm) and are most oftencaughtby tokcha'guihan(fishspear),but may alsobe caughtby talAya(cast net),tekken(gillnet),and chenchulu(surroundnet). Thereare severalotherkindsof surgeonfishes. Manyof theseare blue,brown,or black.Theyare knownas "hugupao."

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Theorigjnal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSpo(Fish& Wildlife Restoration Program, adminisiered bytheDivision ofAquatie & Wildlife Resources oftheDepanment ofAgriculture ln collaboration withtheGuam Coastal lvanagement Program of theBureauol Planning. Thisfourthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection,{ge-nCy Award# N/009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee ofthbWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic&l*Vildlife Resources, 192DairVRoad, Mangilao. Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6.

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arerobust-bodied highlyvaluedfoodfishes. . Snappers Theyarecaughtprimarily by bottomfishing, gillnet,and spearfishing. Thereareat least23 kindsof snappers in Guams waters,11otwhichoccurin shallowreefwaters. A few of thesealsooccurdeeperthan330ft (100m). Theshallowwatersnappers havelargemouthsandare predators aggressive offishesandcrustaceans. Onekind of snapperthe , tagAfior r ed snapperi,s fr equentl y poisonous whenit reachesa largesize.Individuals of thisspecies thatweighmorethanabout9 pounds(4 kg) shouldnot be eaten.The otherkindsof snappers are usually safeto eat.

FUN AI (BI U E .tIN ED 'N A P P E R) Lutjanuskasmira

Manyspecies liveindeepwater,primarily of snappers at depthsof about500to 1,200feet(152to 366m).These feedprimarily on largeplanktonic animals suchas larval (a jelly-like crustaceans andtunicates animalthatfeeds onzooplankton filtered fromthewater),butalsoeatother fishesandcrustaceans. Thefunai(blue-lined snapper) livesin a widevarietyof reefhabitatsrangingfromshallowinnerlagoonsto a depthof at least500feet(152m).During theday,it often occursin largeaggregations aroundledgesandcaves. At nightitdisperses tofeedonfishesandbottom dwelling cruslaceans.

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KAKA'KA' (FtArlrETAl t S N A P P ER) Lutjanusfulvus

(flametailsnapper) Thekaka'ka' livesinlagoon andouter reefareasat depthsof 3 to 250feet(1to 76 m). lt prefers shelter edar easwith deep holesor boul der sand sometimes entersmangrove areas.lt is notas common as the blue-lined snapper, anddoesnot occurin large schools. The bua (onespot snapper)livesin outerlagoonand seawardreefsfromthe outerreefflat to a depthof at least200feet(60m).lt prefersareaswithdeepcutsand holesandoccurssinglyor in smallgroups.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSpoftFish& Wildlife Restoration Program, adminislered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepadment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program oftheBureauof Planning. (May Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeFesources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontact themby phone(671) 735-3955/6. .

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Externalanatomyof a coneshell.The venomousdart locatedin the tip of the proboscis.

Coneshells("karakot" is the Chamorro termgenerally used for all shellsfoundin the ocean,venomou or s not)ar e distinctively shapedmollusksthat havean efficientvenom prey.Thisapparatus apparatus usedto immobilize consists of a venomsackand ductthat leadsto a seriesof barbed darts. The dartsare actuallymodifiedteethlocatedat the end of a longextensible organcalledthe proboscis.The proboscis is usedto probefor preyas wellas thrustthedart thatis mollusks intothe prey.Coneshellsare gastropods, Likemostothergastropods theylay witha singlespiralshell. casesunderrocks. theireggsin segmented Thereareat least70 kindsof coneshellson Guam.Allare venomous, butonlya fewareconsidered Most dangerous. kinds of cone shellsfeed on wor msand other s m al l invertebrates. Thesegenerally havea weakvenomthatis not effective againsthumans. A few coneshellsfeedon smallfishesandothermollusks. Thesehavea potent venom andarecapable of inflicting dangerous, evenfatalwounds. Although theanimalof theconeshellwillgenerally withdraw intothe shellwhenhandled, the pr oboscis i s ex tens i bl e enough to reachanypartoftheshellsothereis nocompletely safewayto handleone. Themostdangerous species of coneshellsfoundon Guam are the geographycone(Conusgeographus), striatedcone (Conusstriatus),textile cone (Conustextile),bandacone (Conusbandanus), andtulip cone(Conustulipa). Cone shellsar e an im por tantcom ponentof the r eef community as wellas popular withshellcollectors.Likeall marineanimalstheyshouldbe treatedwithrespectand not harmedor taken.lf youcollectshells,takeonly needlessly andleave or two of eachkindthatare in goodcondition one the restto sustainthe population.

Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& Wildlife Restoration Program, administered bytheDivrsion ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal lvlanagement Program oftheBureauol Planning. Thislaurlhprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Commtttee. Allinquiries may be sent1othe Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeBesources, 192DairyRoad, phone (671) Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby 735-3955/6.

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bladelikespinesat the base of the tail.Theseare used for fisherman.The bladeof the kichuis smallerand less danoerousthan that of Guam'ssurgeonfishes are goodto eat.

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The kichuis one.of Guam'smostabundantsurgeonfishes, occurringin mosthar:d-bottomed areastiromthe shoreline to over100feet(-S_O m) deep.lt is mostabundant on outerreefflatsandshallowlagoonandseaward reefslopes.Kichufeedon filamentousalgaecroppedfromthe surfacesof deadcoraland rock.Theyoccuras eitherscattered individuals or in largeschools, sometimes withotheralgae-eating fishessuchas parrotfishes, rabbitfishes, and othersurgeonfishes.Whenalone,they are easilydrivenawayfromthe territories of certain algae-eating fisheslikethehiyok(Btuebanded Surgeonfish). However, whenin a largeswarming schooltheyare ableto overcome the bestterritorial defenses. kichusettlefromtheplankton Juvenile at a lengthof aboutoneinch(2.5cm)andafterabouttwomonthsat sea. Theyspendtheirfirstseveral weeksin tidepools or amongpatches of coralrubbleuntiltheygetlargerandstart roaming thereef.Adultsaggregate at certain sitesalongthereefedgeor inchannel mouths to spawn.Spawning occursat duskamongsmallgroupsthatbreakawayfromtheaggregation. KichuarecaughtbytalAya(castnet), (surround tekken(gillnet),chenchulu net),andtokcha'(spear).

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through: theSportFish& Wildlife Restoration Program. administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Fesources oftheDepanment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam CoaslalManagement Program oJtheBureauof.Ptanning. Thisfeirthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmedal pursuant Protâ&#x201A;Źction AgenGy to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection dgencyAward# |V0090Q3-02 through the Envjronmental Education Committee oftheWalerPlanning Commjttca. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildljfeResources, 192rDairy Road, Mangilao. Guam96913.Tocontact themby phone(671)

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PARROTFISH STEEPHEAD Chlorurus microrhinos

Par r otfishesa r e c l os el y relqtedto thewrasses(called 'I buthave i'Jg" inChamorro), ,,= teeththat are fusedinto a beak. They use distinctive theirbeakto scrapegreen filamentous algaefromthe sur facesof de ad c or alor r ock.They als o eat l ar ge amountsof the deadcoral rockthat are scrapedloose by theirbeaks.Thescraped PhotcO RoberiF Mvers particles arepassedthrough TERMINAT PHA'E (LAGGUANA'UT), ALWAY' MAIE and settleon the bottomas also sand.Someparrotfishes parrotfishes feed in traveland eat leafyseaweedsor coral.Most fishessuch groups,sometimesmixedwith otheralgae-eating parrotfishes All sleepon the and rabbitfishes. as surgeonfishes bottomat night,oftentuckedawayintoa hole.

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parrotfishes aredrablycolored, usually brownto grayand Juvenile whenlessthanabouttwoincheslong.Largerjuveniles, oftenstriped females, andsomemalesof mostkindsarebrownor gray(these are calledpalakse'). Thisis knownas the initialphasebecause havethiscolorphaseafterthey bothmaleandfemaleparrotfishes losetheirjuvenilecolor.Someof the largestfemaleseventually andmostlyblueandgreen changebothcolorandsexto a brilliant Thisis calledthe terminal colorphase(theseare calledlAggua). phasefisharemalesthatstaftedoutasfemales. phase.Allterminal phase Malesthatstartedoutas malescannotchangetotheterminal pattern parrotfish color and cannotchangesex.The steephead reachesa size of about28 inches(70 cm). Late initialphase individuals of this speciesbecomebluegreenlikethe terminal phase,butdo nothaveas steepa forehead. Thesearestillcalled palakse'.Whentheydevelopa verticalforehead, theyare called foodfishes.Theyare are important "lAgguan asut".Parrotfishes willnottakea hook.There caughtby netsandspears,butusually on Guam. kindsof parrotfishes are 19different

Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through Theoriginal Program, theSportFish& Wildlife Restoration administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam (May Coastal lvlanagement Program ot theBureauof Planning. Thislourthprinting 2002)wasJunded by theGuamEnvironmefttal Protection Agencypursuant to the Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through UnitedStatesEnvironmental the oftheWaterPlanning Allinquiries Environmental Education Committee Committee. 192.!airyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic&WildlifeResources, themby phone(671)735-3955i6. IMangilao. Guam96913.Tocontact

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Dangerous Marine Life belongto a groupof animals Seaurchins,calledlAlonin Chamorro, known as echinodermswhich also includesstarfishesand sea cucumbers.The word echinodermmeans"spinyskin"and refers to the bony plates,spines,or spiculeswhicheithercoveror are imbeddedin the skin.

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Echinoderms alsohavea bodyplanbasedon radialsymmetryin like which many of the body parts are arrangedsymmetrically froma commoncenter.Echinoderms do nothave spokesradiating nerve network that enables them have a or ears, but eyes, a brain, to function. LA'onhavean outershellcalleda testwhichconsistsof interlocking plates.Each platehas rowsof socketsthat hold eitherspinesor pinchingappendages A thinouterskincovers calledpedicellariae. thetest.A mouthwithteethis locatedin thecenterof the underside of the test. LA'onfeed by raspingalgaefrom the bottom.Wasteproductsare passedthrougha smallholeon the top of the test.Digestive and reproductive organsare locatedinsidethe test.The cream-colored eggsof manylA'onare a delicacyand lA'onare harvested for food in manyplaces.

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Thereat least28 kindsof lA'onon Guam.Mosthavesharpbrittle spinesthat can breakoff on contactand causepainfulwounds. venomous. MostlA'onwounds Thespinesof somekindsareslightly pain in subsides a few hours and usually the not serious; are particlesof spinedissolvein a day or two. Soakingthe woundIn hot watermay speedthe healingprocess. pedicellariae. Many lA'onhavevenomousflower-like The flowery which cancause urchinis coveredwithcolorfulpink pedicellariae extremelypainfulwounds that may lastseveraldays.This urchin is not alwaysnoticedbecauseit coversitselfwith bitsof debris.All sea urchinshavesofttubedfeetwithsuctioncupsat the end.These and hold are usedto clingto the bottom,transportfood particles, debrisfor camouflage.

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FactSheets werefirstcrealed andf irstproduced through Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife Program, ofAquatic theSportFish& Wildlife Restoration administered bytheDivision Resources oftheDepartment incollaboration withtheGuam & Wildlife ofAgriculture (May Thisfourthprinting l\,4anagement Program oftheBureauof Planning. Coastal Protection Agencypursuant 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental to the Protection AgencyAward# [,4009063-02 through the UnitedStatesEnvironmental oftheWaterPlanning Committee, Allinquiries Environmental Education Committee 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, themby phone(671)735'395516. Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontact

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EMPERORS .Enr#rorsarq,9!longsrrapperlike fishesthatare a very ' imp'ortanttraditionaitooO source.Thereare about16 in Guam'swaters.Theseincludefive kihdsof emperors kindSof m5td '6agon,palakse',and ninekinds of mafute' and'lililok.Most kinds of emperors root in the sand for invertebrateslike mollusks,worms,crustaceans,and sea u rc h in s .T h e s e e mp e ro rsu s u a llvh a v e mol a r so r s t o u t prey. conicalteethin theiijawsfor crushinghard-shelled Some mafute'alsofeedon fishesand lililokfeedmainlyon fishes.Manykindsof mafute'and lililokarecapableof rapid changes in colorationand often have a pattern of dark reticulationsor blotches that make them difficult to fromoneanother.Emperorsarecaughtby hook distinguish and line,tekken,and spear.

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emperoris one of the mostcommonkinds The black-spot in of mafute' shallowreefwaters.lt lives in sandy areas withseagrasses or scatteredcoralsand feeds mainly on This mafute'reachesa lengthof 14 inches invertebrates. (3 5 c m). The redgillemperoris the most commonemperoroutside the reefat depthsof 40 to 500 feet(12to 152m). lt livesin sandyareasand reachesa lengthof over 16 inches(40 c m). Lililok(yellowlipemperor)have a longersnoutthanthe mafute'and also get larger.The yellowlipemperoris the mostcommonlililokin shallowreefwaters.lt prefersareas of mixedsand,coral,and rubbleas wellas seagrassbeds invertebrates and feedson hard-shelled as well as fishes. It reachesa lengthof 24 inches(60 cm). MAtanhAgonget largerthan mafute'and have deeper bodiesand largereyes.Onlyone kindof mAtanhAgon,the bigeyeemperor,is commonin shallowreef waters.lt is usuallyfoundon the seawardreefslope. In the daytimeit may occurin groupshoveringcloseto the bottom.At night it movesout over sand to feed. lts very largeeye helps it see betterat night. lt reachesa sizeof 21 inches(53 cm). Other kinds of bigeyeemperorare usuallycaught by, bottomfishingin deeperwatersoutsidethe reefat depths of 1O0to 600 feet (30 to 182 m). ,. Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andf irstproduced through theSpoftFish& Wildlife Restoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatio & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam (May Coastal l\,4anagement Program ol theBureauofPlanning. Thisfourlhprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmefltal Proteciion Agencypursuant to the UnitedStaiesEnvironmental Protection A$encyAward# N/009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955./6.:

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.=,== Mangroves and Estuaries: Coastalareab*het€ ttr.estlwa!g6{,-1,9, growtn plantgrowth IntcKplant Thick areknown knownas estuanes. estuaries. the sea sea are withthe rivers riversmixes mixeswlth along shelteredshorelinesand river banks helps coral reefs by thatwashintothe rivers.Nutrientswashed filteringsiltand pollutants i n t o t h e r ive r s as well as from decaying v e g e t a t io n f e e d s phytoplankton that are the basis of the food chain.The shelter proviOeO by plantsand abundanceof planktonmakesestuaries ideal nurserygroundsfor many kindsof animals.The young of many kindsof reef fisheslive in the lower,more salinepartsof estuariesbeforemigratingto coralreefhabitats.Otherkindsof fishes theiradultslives. remainin estuariesthroughout and crustaceans trees. Mangrovecrabslivein burrowsamongthe rootsof riverbank fishesand shrimpslivein the sea All of Guam'snativefreshwater as eithereggsor larvaeand migratebackto rivers,passingthrough estuariesas tinyyoung.

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occuron shallowshelteredreefflats Seagrassbeds: Seagrasses mostabundantin areasenrichedby tend to be in lagoons and and nutrientswashedintothesea by rivers.By trappingsiltanddecaying plantparticles, the bottommakingit more helpstabilize seagrasses resistentto erosioncausedby stormwaves.Seagrassesare very importantto many kindsof animals.They provideshelterfor the youngof manykindsof fishesas wellas the adultsof others.Many animalsfeed on the growingtips of seagrassesor epiphyticalgae that growson the bladeswhilesome feed on the matureblades themselves. Phoio O Roberi F. N4vere

C o r a l r ee fs: Co r al reefs occur where the wa t e r is s h a llo w, clear,fullysaline,relativelyclean,and the bottomis consistently stableenoughto providefor the settlementand growthof corals. Coralsarethe buildingblocksof reefsandcorallinealgaethe cement thatholdsthe rubble,sandand coralstogether.Coralsgrowbestin the clearwateralongthe outeredgeof the reef.As the reefgrows awayfromthe shore,a lagoonmay developon itsshorewardside. Guam'scoral reefsare hometo thousandsof speciesof animals and plantsincludinghundredsof kindsof fishesand shellfishes. Fishesand otheranimalsand plantstakenfromcoralreefsare an partof Guam'straditional diet.Touristsare attracted indispensible waters.Pollutionand life and clear marine reefs abundant to the siltthatwashintothe sea are the biggestthreatsto our coralreefs. fishingpractices,illegalharvesting Otherthreatsincludedestructive that may upsetthe ecologicalbalance. of coral,and overfishing

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AAATTINGAN ( CORAI REEF')

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andfirstproduced through FactSheets werefirstcrealed Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife Program. administered bytheDivisio'r ofAquatic Bestoration theSpo(Fish& Wildlife incollaboration withtheGuam ofAgriculture & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment (l\,4ay Thisfourthprinting l\4anagement Program oftheBureauof Planning. Coastal pursuant Agency Protection to the 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmeBtal the Protection AgencyAward# N/009063-02 through UnitedStatesEnvironmental Allinquiries oftheWater Planning Committee. Education Committee Environmental 192.Oairy Road, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-395516"r Mangilao,

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Parrotfishesare closelyrelatedto the wrasses (a'aga'and some palakse'),but haveteeththat are fusedintoa distinctivebeak. They usetheir â&#x201A;Źâ&#x201A;Ź,=,==::, beak to scrape green filamentousalgae from the surfacesof dead coral or rock. They also r :leat largeamountsof the dead coralrockthat is 1;:it='::' scraped loose by their beaks. The scraped particlesare passedthroughand settleon the bottomas sand. Some parrotfishesalso eat travel leafyseaweedsor coral.Mostparrotfishes mixedwithother andfeedin groups,sometimes and fishes such as surgeonfishes algae-eating TERMINAT PHA'E (PAI.AK'E'),ALWAYSMAIE rabbitfishes. All parrotfishes sleepon the bottom at night,oftentuckedaway into a hole.Many sleep in a clear mucuscocoon.The cocoon smallkindsof parrotfishes protectsthemfromcertainpredatorslikemorayeelsthathuntby senseof snnell. ,,,,,,,j .:..

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,UVEN ItE

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Juvenileparrotfishes are drablycolored,usuallybrownto grayand often stripedwhenlessthan abouttwo incheslong.Largerjuveniles,females, and some males of mostkinds of parrotfishes are brownor gray.This is knownas the initialphasebecauseboth male and femaleparrotfishes have this color phase after they lose their juvenilecolor.Some of the largestfemaleseventuallychangeboth colorand sex to a brilliantand mostlyblueand greencolorphase.This is calledthe terminalphase.All terminalphasefish are malesthat startedout as females.Maiesthat startedout as males cannotchangeto the terminalphase color pattern and cannotchangesex. The bulletheadparrotfishis a small speciesthat reachesa size of 12 inches(30 cm). For this reason,both initialand terminalphasefish may be called"palakse'". However,manyterminalphasefish developa tan Parrotfishes are imporlant areaon theirsidesandarecalled"magAmham". food fishes. Theyare caughtby netsand spears,butwill not take a hook. on Guam. Thereare 19 differentkindsof parrotfishes

I N I T I AL PH A ' E ( P A L A K 'E '), M A I E O R F E MA T E

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSporlFish& Wildlife Restoration Progrem, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam l\,4anagement Program (May Coastal of theBureauofPlanning. Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# tV009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, t92'DairyRoad, themby phone(671) 735-395,5./q Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontact

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POIS O NOUSREEFFI'HE' (crGuAToxlc)

whichaffectsthenervous substance a neurotoxic ciguatera, Thedinoflagellate colonizes orgmbm calleda dinoflagellate. ucedbya tinysingle-cellqj

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fishes.The toxinis not metabolized, bul sheSwhichare in turn,eatenby predatory organs.Eachtime in theliverandreproductive s andbecomesmostconcentrated large of ciguatera. Consequently, it accumulates itsvictim'slifetimeaccumulation of ciguatera. the highestconcentrations

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toxicandshouldNEVERbe redsnapper! andtargetitohge(morayeels)arefrequently geindividuals gAdao (groupers), Alu(barracudas), of otherkindsof reeffishessuchas ic and shouldbe avoided.The liverand

Symptomsof ciguaterarangefrom a tinglingof the lipsto reversalof the sensationsof hot and cold,muscular weakness,vomiting,diarrhea,shortnessof breathand cardiacarrest.Deathis rare,butthe sicknesscan lastfor months.Anyonesuspectedof sufferingfrom ciguaterashouldseek medicalcare immediately.

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TITOHGE(GIANTMORAY EEL) javanicus Gymnothorax

TAGAFI (TWI NSPOT'NAPPER) Lutjanusbohar

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PUTONNON(TITAN TRIG6ERFI'H) Bati stoides viridescens

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Plectropomuslaevis

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through FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife Program, bytheD visionofAquatic Restoralion administered theSportFish& Wildlife incollaboration o{Agriculture withtheGuam & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment (lvlay Thisfounhprinting Program of theBureauof Planning. Coastal Management Protection Agencypursuant to the 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmenlal Protection AgencyAward# N/009063-02 throughthe UnitedStatesEnvironmental Allinquiries oftheWaterPlanning Committee, Education Commitiee Environmental 192DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, Mangiiao, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

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Arothron nigropunctatus All or part of boxfishesand sharpnosepuffersmay be POISONOUS

HA RP No ' E E P ( SHARPNO' DAN GTON (B OX FIS H) B UT E T E N PENTO P E NT o (S BUTETEN U FFFFEER R)) PU Ostracion meleagris Canthigaster Canthigastersolandri solandri Severalkinclsof reeffishesarepoisonous to eat.Buteti(puffers) andbutetentituka'(porcupine fishes)producean extremely toxicsubstancecalledtetrodotoxin. DAnglonandtoriyu(boxfishes) andtripletoothpuffersmightalsoproducethispoison, but moreresearchneedsto be done.Tetrodotoxin is usuallyconcentrated in the internalorgansand skin,but the flesh mayalsobe toxic.Thetoxinis one of the mostpowerfulpoisonsknownanda verysmallamountcancausedeath.Some peopleeat the fleshof puffers,but that is a very dangerouspractice.The toxincannotbe destroyedby cookingor any otherprocess.Thetoxincausesthe skinof thesefishesto tastebitterso predatorswillavoidthem. Puffersalsocan make themselveslargerand harderthannormalby inflatingthemselveswithwater.This alsomakesit harderfor a predatorto eatthem.An inflatedspinypufferis nearlyimpossible to eat.Boxfishesalsoproducea substancethatmakesthemtaste poison andcankillotherfishesinthe or stressed is released fromtheskinwhentheboxfishbecomesfrightened bad.This samebucketor aquariumas theboxfish.lt is notyet knownwhetherthe poisonfromboxfishesisthesameas tetrodotoxin. , animalslikemollusks,crustaceans,. Puffers,porcupinefishes, and boxfisheseat a varietyof plantsand bottom-dwelling sea urchins,starfishes,and worms.Somehavebroaddietswhileothersspecializeon ceftainthings.Some:puffer$''for example, feedmainlyon tipsof branching corals.Mostof thesefishesareslowswimmerssincetheyhavelittleto fear.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheetswerefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& Wildlife Program, Restoration administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal l\,4anagement Program of theBureauof Planning. (May Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby the GuarnEnvironmerdal P{ot€ction Agencjpursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# |V009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee Committee. Allinquiries oflheWaterPlanning may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192Dairy Road, Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontact themby phone(671)

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REEFCRU'TACEAN'

j3 mot,ltingcii in Cfrarn.orro, manggosni: Aftereachmoult,theirnewshells ** PholoOltobertFMyers ar6 soft for several,,hours or days untilenoughcalciumis absorbedto MAHONGHANG/GUPO'AIAO grow is no within their shells until there makethem hard.They then ( ' PINY LOB' TE R ) longerenoughroomandtheymustmoultagain.

Lobstersare the largestand mostvaluableof the reef'scrustaceans. Th e m o st co m m on spiny lobsteris the mah o n g g a n g(P a n u liru s gupo'Alaoas Chamorroscall it when it reachesa giant penicillatus)or reefmargin.Otherspecies alongthewave-swept size.lt livesprimarily t e n d to o ccu r in deeperwater,but are not c o mmo n lys e e n . T h e papangpang has a wide flattenedcarapacethatcoversits legs.There are hundredsof speciesof crabson Guam'sreefs,but onlytwo,the pAnglaooru (seven-eleven crab) andthe pAnglaoguaka(redreefcrab) are largeenoughto be commonly taken. Theymustweigh Mahonggang areGuam'sonly regulated crustaceans. at leastone poundandfemaleswitheggsmay not be takenduringthe monthsof May,June,and July.Forthcoming regulationswill change (carapace length)limitwhichis the weightlimitto a corresponding size lt wouldalso prohibitthe spearingof easierto measureunderwater. onesmay be releasedunharmed. so thatundersized mahonggang

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PAPANGPANG ( ' tIPPER IOBSTER ) Parribacus antarcticus

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werefrrstcreated andfirstproduced through Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets Res'toration Program, adminislered bytheDivision ofAquatic theSportFish& Wildlife incollaboralion Resources oftheDepanment ofAgricullure withtheGuam & Wildlife (May Program Thisfourthprinting Coastallvlanagement oftheBureauof Planning. Protection Agencypursuant to the 2002)wasfundedby theGuarnEnvironmental through the Protection AgencyAward# lM009063-02 UnitedStatesEnvironmental Allinquiries Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Commiltee. Environmental 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, themby phone(671)735-3955/6. Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontact

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GOATFISHES

i= .I $:i,ffi-.tffif (cared ;-;trffirbft ,r,",r,rvsa:parr orono ;;; orwhiskers inchamorro) batbas El'gi'il8*1"-,gH"1"9 'bottom " ""r",;oi:yff1,':i:tjlry: - ,uRder ".n3,'-?t' tffus@nTl,nfu"use the barbelsto probethe r::llits toi P.Tqr:'yl"f:f?rr,?lb"?."'.': tfresmallanimafsthat they eat. Most kindsof tir

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andq1e.=cqught Younggoatfishes, by a varietyof methods. cafledti'ao,arecaught Fu. P* F *$i:rlf*.'ffitrii.gi::rF:""*:rr*i:?ix* .'"Tea:e"":r'r*:i;i*1 ,

(20cm),arecaughtbytekken(gillnet),tokcha'(spear) if overet6fSe{es andetupak(hookandline). F$yneti ' + qtr;;ffi ". Younggoatfisheg mrimto tne reef.fromthe opensea as silverypost-larvae whentheyare abouttwo to three incheslong. V/ithina fewdaystheychangeto theiradultcolorpattern andstartfeeding onthebottom. Fortheir firstseveral goatfish, dayson the reef,theyareknownas ti'ao.Theyellowstripe themostcommonkindof ti'ao,

arriveson the reefflats in largegroups.Bothadultand youngyellowstripegoatfishare the mostcommonkindof goatfishin shallowreefJlatand lagoonwaters.Duringthe day theymostoftenoccurin largegroups.Adultsmay be seenhoveringin deeperpartsof the reefflatsnearthe shelterof corals.Theydisperseoverthe sandat night to feed and changetheircolorto a blotchedpatternwith an elongatedarkspoton theirsides. A few individuals goatfishis alsofeedduringthe day and are uniformlylightwiththe elongatespoton the sides.The dash-and-dot the largestkindand growsto about24 inches(60 cm).

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SATMONETI (DA'H.AN D.DOT GOATFI'H) Paruoeneus barberinus

Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFlsh& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquaticl & Wildlife Fesources oftheDepartmentof Agriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program of theBureauof PIanning. (May Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# l\/1009063.02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee.All inquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeReso-urces, tSeiDairyiloaO, l\.4angilao. Guam96913. Tocontact themby phone(671) 735-39516.

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deep-bodied kindsthatoccur the edgeof the reefflat. nds,Siganus argenteusandSiganus to two majorfisheries. The firstoccurswhen they arrivefrom the open sea as tiny silvery,transparent$ost-larvae calledi'manAhak" in Chamorro. This'usuallyhappensduringa few days aroundthe time of the moon'slast quarterin April or May and occasionally in October.

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DAGGE' (Forktail rabbitfish and scribbledrabbitfish) The harvestingof manAhakis seasonalandhasbeena longSiganusargenteusand S. spinus standingculturaltraditionwith Chamorros. Withthe increase in jet ski and othermotorizedcraftactivityin EastAganaBay wherefishermenusuallyawaitthe runs,an ExecutiveOrder was issuedby the Governorof Guamin 199'1whichprovided for the closureof the bay duringthe peak of the manAhak season.AthoughmanAhakare caughtthroughout the island, EastAganaBay is considered the traditional sitefor manAhak to arrive. ManAhakarrive in largetightly-packed schools containing thousandsof individuals. Fishermenscoopthem up in finemeshnets.A highly-prized delicacy,manAhakis eaten fried or pickledin saltand lemonjuiceand servedas a condiment. Withina few days of reachingthe reef,manAhakbeginto feedon algaeand adopttheircolorpattern.At thisstagethey are knownas dAgge'.Theirtastechangesand they are not consideredverygoodto eatfor severalmonthsuntiltheyreach adultsize (hitengand sesyon).Adultsare caughtprimarilyby netsand spears,but some are caught by hook and line using"chaiguan," a greenstringyalgae,as bait. Hitengusuallyoccurin largeschoolsthatroamthe reeffeeding on algaescrapedfromthe bottom.Theytendto livein deeper Iagoonareasor the outerslopebeyondthe reefedge. Sesyon sometimes occurin largeschoolsbutusuallyarefoundin small groupsand liveprimarilyon reefflatsand in shallowlagoons. Hitengreacha sizeof 14 inches(36 cm) and sesyonreacha s i z eo f ab o u t1 1 in ches(28 cm).

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H ITENG (Forktailrabbitfish) Siganusargenteus

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Theorjginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& Wildlife Restoralion Program, administered bytheDrvrsion ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (May 2002)was'u1dedby tneGuamEnvironmental pursJart Protectio't Agency to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# |V009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee of theWaterPianning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic&WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, phone Mangilao, To (671) Guam96913. contact themby 735-3955/6,

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Cheilinusundulatus

The tangisonis the largestof all the wrassesand the secondlargestof the reeffishes. lt may reacha lengthof eightfeet and weightof 420 pounds(191 kg). The largeston Guam are probablyabout200 pounds(90 kg). Adultsdevelopa prominent humpon theforeheadand havethickspongylips.Smalltangisonmaybe distinguished from similargreenwrassesby a uniquepatternof three blacklinesextendingfrom the eye. Theseare called tasenguaguanin Chamorro. Smalltangisonlivein coral-rich areasof shallowlagoonreefs.By the timetheyreacha foot in length,theymove off the reefflats into deeperwater.Adultsoccuralong reef slopes.at depthsof six to 200 feet (2 to 60 m). They havea "home"caveor holewithinwhichtheysleepor hidewhen pursued. In someareas,severalyoung tangisonmay be seenon a singlevisit,butadultsare notoftenseenand individuals over100pounds(a5 kg)are rare.Theyare quitewaryand moveawayas soonas theysensethattheyare being watched.The tangisonis usuallysolitary.lt feeds primarilyon mollusksand other hard-shelled invertebrates includingcrustaceans, sea urchins,brittlestars, starfish, and sometimes fishes.lt is one of thefew predators that is ableto eat toxicanimalssuchas the crown-of-thorns starfish,boxfishes, and sea hares.The thick,spongylips appearto absorbsea urchinspines,and molar-like teethin the throatcalledpharyngeal teethcrushthe shellsof (alileng pulan) animalssuchas trochusshells tulompo/alileng ln some places,large tangisonmay containciguateratoxinin their flesh and may be poisonous. Although this does not seemto be a problemwith tangisonon Guam,it wouldnot be wiseto eat tangisonweighingoVef : 1 0 0 p oun d s( 4 5 kg).

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSpodFish& Wildlife Restoralion Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal [/]anagement Program ol theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironrtâ&#x201A;Źntal Protection Agencypursuant to lhe UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee ofthâ&#x201A;ŹWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/ft,

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I ' E' O U VE N T tE ) Thebluefintrevallyis Guam'smostcommonreefdwelling jack.Jacksarefast-swimming silveryfishesthatroam theopenwatersabovethereefortheupperlevelsof theopensea.Jackshavea lateralseriesof bonyscutesthat forma reinforcing keelat the baseof thetail.Somejackslookliketunas,buttunaslackscutes.Therearemany kindsofjacksinGuam'swaters.Theyinclude pompanos, thetrevallies, amberjacks, roundscads,rainbowrunner, jacksthatfeedonfishesor crustaceans and bigeyescad(atulai). Trevallies arelarge,laterally compressed such as crabsand lobsters. Jacksof all sizesandspeciesare popularfoodfishes.Youngtrevallies aboutthreeinchesin length,calledi'e', migrate fromtheopenseato shallow shoreline watersduringthesummermonths. Theyfeedonsmallinvertebrates andfishesand are easilycaughtwithlighttackleusinga pieceof rubberbandas a lure.lmmature trevallies of fourto 10inches(10to 25cm)in lengtharecalled"tarakitiyu" andthoselargerthan10inchesarecalled"tarakitu." Thebluefintrevallyreachesa lengthof about30 inches(76cm).Anotherkind,the gianttrevally(Caranxignobitis), getsmuchlarger,sometimes upto fouranda halffeet(1.4m) longand150pounds(68kg). Whenoverthreefeet (0.9m), it is called"mamulan."Otherkindsof jacksat Guamincludethe "tarakiton amariyu"or goldentrevally (Gnathanodon speciosusl, whichis foundin deeplagoonsand outerreefs;the "tarakitonAttelong" or blackjack (Caranxlugubris), foundoffsteepdropoffsandoffshorebanks,andthe"tarakiton tailas"or bigeyetrevally(Caranx sexfasciatus), frequentlycaughtwhen night-light fishingfor atulai.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerelirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision otAquatic & WildlifeResources oftheDepartmentof Agriculture in collaboration withtheGuam CoastalManagement Programof the Burâ&#x201A;Źauof Planning. Thistourthprinting(May 2002)was fundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuantto the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063.02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee of theWaterPlanningCommittee. All inquiries may be sent to the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources,192 Dairy Road, Mangilao,Guam96913.To contactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6:

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The tataga'is oneof a groupof unicornfishes thatdevelopsa prominent horn on theforehead. Mostunicornfishes havetwo pairsof sharpbladelikespinesat the baseof the tail.Theseare usedfor defenseand can easilycut the hand of a carelessfisherman.The blue color aroundthe base of the spinesis a warningsignalto would-be predatorsthat thisfish may be dangerousto captureand eat.Tataga'arepopularfoodfish. Tataga'arethe mostcommonunicornfish of shallowreefslopeswheretheymay occurin groups.Theyare mosr abundantin surgyouterreefareas,but alsooccuralonglagoonand channelslopesto a depthof about100feet (30 m). Theyfeedon attachedand floatingseaweedand are particularly fondof leafybrown Sargassumseaweed, calledchaiguanin Chamorro.A skilledfishermancan hook them in channels by using ihaiguan as bait. Tataga'arealsocaughtby spearfishing and by cast net alongthe reefmargin.Tataga'may reacha lengthof 22 inches(46 cm), excludingthe tailfilaments. Youngtataga',calledguassa'in Chamorro,do not have a horn and settlefrom the reef as nearlytransparent larvae after having lived in the surfacewaters of the open sea for up to two months.Unicornfishlarvaeget unusuallylarge,up to two inches(5 cm),beforetheysettleon the reef. Thatis why it is impossible to findsmaller young on the reef. Large tataga' larvae have distinctivedark spots on the back and are a common prey of mAhimAhi, wahoo,tunas,and youngbillfishes. Threeotherhornedunicornfishes occurat Guam, noneof whichhavebluespines.The whitemargin unicornfish (N. annulatus)has a white marginaroundthe tail and when small, has a white ring aroundtne tait base; the spottedunicornfish(N. brevirosfns,) has dark spotsand vertically-elongated streaks on the body and a white tail; and, the humpnoseunicornfish(N. brachycentron) calledtataga'halu'uin Chamorro,has a bizarre-looking h u m pon th e b a ck.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcrealed andf irstproduced through theSponFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquaiic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal l\,4anagement Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (l\,4ay 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironm€ntal Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection ,A-g-e-ncy Award# l\,4009063-02 throughthe planning Environmental Education Committee ofthelA/ater Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192'DairyRoad, f,4angilao, Guam96913.Tocontact themby phone(671)735-39Sg/Q1:,'

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The wahoo,or tosonas it is calledin Chamorro,is a memberof the samefamilyas tunas.lt occursin all tropical and warm-temperate seaswherethe wateris71'F(21oC) or warmer.Theyare amongthe fastestfishesknown, ableto reachspeedsas highas 47 milesper hour(76 kph).Theyfeedprimarily on fishesand to a lesserextent, on squidsand crustaceans.In coastalwaterstheyfeedlargelyon post-la;'val reeffishesand baitfishas wellas on flyingfishesand smalltunas. Tosunhaveextremelysharpclose-setteeththatforma saw-likecuttingedge.Theirpreyare frequentlycleanly cut intotwo or threepieces.Theirsnappingjaws can be quitedangerousto the carelessfisherman. Tosunare oftenfoundabovedeep drcp-offsbetweenthe 140 to 660 foot (43 to 2OOm) depthcontours. In theAtlanticand probablyalsoon Guam,tosunspawnin the springand summer.Littleis knownof theirgrowth ratesor migratorypatterns.They reacha fork lengthof six feet 11 inches(2.1m; measuredfromthe tip of the snoutto the notchin the middleof the tail)and weightof 150 pounds(68 kg). However,the largestonescaught nearGuamare about70 pounds(32 kg). Tosunare not abundantenoughin openoceanwatersto formthe basisof a majorfishery,but are importantin the smallboatsubsistence or sportfisheriesof manycountries. Theyarecaughtprimarilyby trollingwithluresor squid.Highestcatcheson Guamusuallyoccurin Novemberwhen largenumbersof smallfish migratethrough our oceanarea.Catchesthroughout the restof the yeararevariablewithrecentannuallandingsrangingf rom 16 t o 8 0 ton s ( 1 5 - 7 3MT).

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& Wildlife Restoralion Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepanment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program oJtheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# N/009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Drvision of Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192Da;ryRoad, phone (671 Mangilao, Guam96913,Tocontact themby ) 735-3955/6.,

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TUNA' ) mostimportant food{ishesof tropicalseas.The is theworld'smostimooftant fishervsoecieswith milllor reacqtng $x i tons. R$ Eightkindg'o!fflrrlg lave"!qen reportedfrom Guam.Skipjack tuna ii followedby yellowfintuna.and kaw$l5awa,al d& ffe capghtby trolling.Dogtoothtuna Itve-lnear live hear reel reefsand-are-eaught ;are-eaughtprimarilyby bottomfishing. Frigatetwraandilpwble-lined mackerels are rarevisitors,and dbacoreand bigeyetunastayin deepoffshorewaters. Guamis the homebasefor a largefleetof purse-seiners and the world'slargestfleet of longliners. Thesevesselsfish primarily southof GuamintheFederated Statesof Micronesia. The purseseinerstargetskipjackand yellowfintunaand can scoopseveraltons in a singleset. Most of theircatch is transshipped to foreigncanneries. Thelongliners targetlarge yellowfin andbigeyetunafromwateras deepas 825feet(251 m). Mostof theircatchis air-flownto Japanfor the fresh-fish sashimimarket. Mosttunasare highlymigratory, high-seas fishesthatfeedon a varietyof smallerfishes,squids,andcrustaceans. Theygrow rapidlyand livefor onlya few years.Mosttunasare "warmblooded." Astheyincrease insize,theircorebodytemperature g e t s pr og r e ssively higherthan the temper a t u reo f t h e surrounding water.To avoidoverheating, they mustmoveto coolerwatersas theygrow,eitherby migrating to subtropical or temperate regions, or by remaining in deepwaterif they stayinthetropics.Forthisreason,largetunasof mostspecies cannotbe caughttrytrolling in sudacewatersnearGuam.

Photo O Robert F Mvers on,l Richofd C. Woss

YELTOW FIN TUNA Thunnusalbacares

BUNITA (SKIP'ACKTUNA) pelamis Katsuwonus

Skipjack tunais the mostabundant andeasily-caught fishby trolling. RecentGuamannuallandings haverangedfrom37 to 124tons(34to 112MT).However, skipjacktunahavea low marketvalueso manyfishermentry to catchotherspecies instead.Therefore, in someyears,the catchof skipjacktuna is exceeded bythatof mahimahi or wahoo.Skipjack tunareach a weightof 42 pounds(19kg),butthelargest fromGuamare about20 pounds(9 kg) Yellowfintuna is highlyprizedfor the localsashimimarket. However, it is notas abundantas skipjacktuna;recentannual landings by trolling arealmostalwayslower,ranginE trom17 to 68 tons(16to 62 MT).Catchratesandtheabundance of 50 Thismay to 150pound(23to 68 kg)fishseemto bedeclining. by purse-seiners andlongliners. bean indication of ovedishing Yellowfin tunareacha weightof 3BBpounds(176kg),butthe largestcaughtby localtrollersare about160pounds(73 kg).

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KAWAKAWA Euthynnusaffinis

Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets wereJirstcreated andf irstproduced through theSpoftFish& Wildlife Restoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Fesources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal l\,4anagement Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStalesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# [/009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatc& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontact themby phone(671)735-3955/6.

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VENO/vlOUtFISHEt Guam'sshallow ...T,.!qreare two familiesof fishesinhabiiing reef waters that have venomousfin spines.They are the (seeSesyon/Hiteng). scorpionfishes and rabbitfishes

pho,.O Rcbe,1F \tyers

NuFo'pAnu(uoNFtsH) Pterois valitans

Lionfishes and the stonefishare membersof the scorpionfish family.All scorpionfisheshave venomousspines.These spinesare locatedin the fins on the back and underside. Punctures fromthe spinescan cause extremepain, swelling, a n d in ra re c a s e s , e v e n d e a t h . T h e re a re 2 5 k i n d s o f scorpionfishes in Guam'swaters.Theyhavelargemouthsand a n d f e e d o n s ma ll f is h e s , c ra b s , a n d s h r i m p s . M o s t scorpionfishes arewellcamouflagedandverydifficult to see. They generallylive on the bottomin rockyor weedy areas. However,the lionfishesmay be quitecolorfulandconspicuous and oftenswim in the open. There are five kinds of lionfishesat Guam.The largestof them,Pteroisvolitans,reachesa lengthof 13 inches (33 cm). livein shallowreefwatersfromthe low tide lineto Lionfishes over 200 feet (60 rn) deep.They are slow movingand will standtheirgroundwhen harassed,pointingtheirvenomous spinesat theirfoe.Theymakespectacular aquariumpetsand when properlycaredfor, can becomequitetame and grow rapidly.Buttheyare potentially dangerous and shouldbe kept p la c e in a in n a c c e s s ib le t o c h ild re n .

The stonefishmay be the world'smost venomousfish and FN/ver! has causedmanyhumandeaths.lts spinesare easily able to penetratea tennisshoe. Mostwoundsfromthe stonefish N u Fo' (icoRpro* t,ifflRcberi are not fatal but causeextreme pain and swellingwhich Sabasfapr'stesstrong ia may resultin deathof surroundingtissue or amputationof fingersor toes.Fortunately, stonefishpreferto rest against rocks or underledgeswheretheyare not likelyto be stepped on. The stonefishreachesa lengthof 13 inches(33 cm) and is the largest kindof scorpionfish on Guam'sreefs.

N U F O ' ('T OI{E F :'F I) Synanceiaverrucosa

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Theorigjnal Fish& Wildlife FaclSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through lheSportFish&Wildlife Restoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepafiment Agriculture of incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program oftheButeauof Planning. (May Thislourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental pursuant Protection Agency to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# |V009063-02 throughthe Env,ronmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquaiic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad. Mangilao, themby phone(671)735-3955/6. Guam96913.Tocontact

KING BLUE-BANDED CROW BUTTERTTY

ABABANG

Euploealuecostictos Thereare many differentinsectson Guam.Some,like flies (lAlo'),cockroaches(kukurAcha), and mosquitoes (namu),are unpopularpests.Others,likemantisesand waspsare helpfulbecausetheyeat pests.Butterflies are yards gardens welcomedvisitorsto and may also be helpfulby becausethey are beautiful.Some butterflies pollinating plants,but othersmay be pestsbecausetheircaterpillars eat usefulplants. There are severaldifferentkindsof butterflieson Guam, all of which are collectively known in Chamorroas "ababang." Somelivedeepin the forest. Otherslikeopenfieldsand grassareas.Butterflies eatthe sweetliquid producedby flowerscallednectar.Theirmouthpartsform a longtubethat is usedto suckthe nectarfromflowers. By movingfrom one flowerto another,they spreadthe plant'spollen.This helpsplantsreproduce.Butterflies havetwo pairsof wingsand six legs.Theirwingsare coveredwith colorfultiny scalesthat can come off when touched. Ababanghave an amazinglife history.Femalesof the flyingadultslay tiny eggs.The eggs hatchintoa larval havea worm-likebodywithmanylegsand are oftencolorfuland decorated Caterpillars sragecalledthe caterpillar. turns into a hard,little,cocoon-like with hairs,spines,or tassels.They feed entirelyon leaves.The caterpillar plant weeks. Finally,it breaksopenand for days or several The chrysalishangsfroma objectcalleda chrysalis. a beautifuladult butterflycomes out. This fantasticprocessof changingfrom one form to anotheris called Metamorphosis can be watchedby All ababangand moths(baba!i)go throughmetamorphosis. metamorphosis. capturinga caterpillar and feedingit leafybranchesof the plantit is foundon untilit makesa chrysalisand the adultababanqemerqes. â&#x201A;Ź

PhoioO RoberlF Myers

TARVAE

Photo O ChrisWile

Photoo RobedF ]vvefs cH

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSponFish& Wildlife Restoration Prograrn, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepadmerl ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam l\4anagement Coastal Program of theBureauo{ Planning, (lvlay Thisfourthprinting pursuant 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agency to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# |V009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, l\,4angilao, Guam96913. Tocontact themby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

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ACHI'AK

SKINKSAND ANOLE

Thesequicklittlelizards are everywhere. Itwouldbedifficult towalkanywhere onGuamwithoutseeingan"achi'ak". They Thismeans in neat rows, are also cold-blooded. lizards have that are arranged Likesnakes,these scales They are often seenlaying is thesameas thetemperature of their surroundings. that their bodytemperature in thesunon rocksandlogs. lf caughtbythetail,somelizards can or escapepredators. Skinksandanolesrelyontheirspeedto catchinsects browntreesnakes,and rats runawayleavingthetailbehindwhichcanbe regrown. Birds(especially chickens), feedon lizards. Therearesevendifferent species of skinksandonespecies of anoleonGuam,allcalled"achi'ak" in Chamorro. The mostcommonkinds,thecuriousskinkandtheanole,wereaccidentally brought to theislandby humans withinthe last50 years.Thecurious skinkis uniformly brown.Theanoleis ableto changeitscolorfrom green pinkflapof skinunderthechincalleda dewlap. when Thisis displayed to brown.Maleanoleshavea colorful fromothermales. theirterritory courtingfemalesor defending theyhaveeither peciesof skinksare more colorfulthan the curiousskink.Unfortunately, predators, treesnake, as the brown prey such to introduced bythecuriousskinkor havefallen beendisplaced theonlyremaining on Cocoslsland, on Guam.Mostof theseare stillpresent or extinct andarenowuncommon Theblue-tailed skinkis onenativethatis stillholdingouton Guam. species. refugefrompredatorsor introduced Theyoungandfemalesof thisspecieshavebluetalesbutadultmalesare entirelybrown, butothersliketheanoleliveon trees. skink,liveon theground, Someskinkslikethecurious

Photo O Gordon H. Roddo. Gory J Wl es & Roberl F.Myers

C U R I O U ' S K IN K

Photo O Gordon H. Rocldo, Gory J Wiles & Roberl F Myers

BtU E-TAItE D SKINK Emoiacaeruieocaucia

Caflia fusca

Photo O Gordon H. Roddo, Gory J Wlles & Robed F Myers

Photo o Gordon H, Roddo, Gory J Wiies & Robert F Mye6

CAROTINAANOLE Anotiscarolinensis

TIDE POOI SKINK Emoiaatrocostata

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through TheoriginalFish& WildlileFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic in collaboration & WildlrfeResources oJtheDepartment ofAgriculture withtheGuam (May Management Program o{theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting Coastal Protection 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Agencypursuantto the Proteclion AgencyAward# M009063-02 UnitedStatesEnvironmental throuqhthe v'.bB Environmental EducationCommitteeofthdWaterPlanningCommittee.All inquiries filll

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MARIANA CROW Enclemicto Guamand Rota

EnclangereclSpecles

Corvuskubaryi TheAga,or Mariana Crow,onceoccurred in mostof Guam.Now,onlysmallnumbers survive in forests at the At onetime,farmersusedto shoottheAgabecauseit raidedcornfieldsandatebabychickens. Nowtherearetoo fewof themto do anydamageto farms.Predation by the browntreesnakeis responsible for thedeclineof this species. is Agasometimes fly in groupsfor longdistances. Somepeopleherebelievethatif youhearitscall,someone aboutto becomeill.-Thesebirdscloselyguardtheirterritories andwillchaseandscoldyouor otherbirdswitha loud"rAh"squawk.Aga are socialbirdsand groomeachother,by peckinginsectsoff of eachother.Theyare omnivorous, whichmeanstheyeatbothplantsandanimals, including insects, lizards, flowersandberries. They usetheirbeaksto hammersmallchunksof barkfromtreesto exposeandeatthe insects. Agaoftennesthighin the topsof Elaeocarpus or "yogga'"trees,wheretheybuildheavynestsfrombranches. Bothparentsbuildthe nestand sit on the eggs.YoungAgafollowtheirparents, watching themcloselyand copying whattheydo. Whentheyarehungry, theysquawkandbegto be fed. TheAgais a specialbirdthatlivesonlyon GuamandRota,andnowhereelse. lt is listedon boththefederaland hatcheditseggsin a treethathadbeen localendangered specieslists. ln 1992,a pairof crowssuccessfully (DAWR).The DAWRwill continueto snakesnake-proofed by the Divisionof Aquaticand WildlifeResources proofotheryogga'trees About50 to allowcrowsto nestandraisetheiryoungwithouttheriskof snakepredation, crowsremainon Guamwithanother 600to 1,OOO crowson Rota. TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced lhrough theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivisionofAquatic & Wldli{eResources ol theDepartment ofAgriculture rncollaboration withtheGuam (May Coastal lvlanagement Program of theBureauof Planning, Thisfounhprinting 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvrronmental Protection Agencypursuantto the Protection UnitedStatesEnvironmental AgencyAward# M009063.02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanninq Commlttee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeBeso-urces. 192 Dairyhoad. Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontaclthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

AK A TE H A

TREEAND IAND SNAILS

NAIIVE TREESNAITS

Photo O BorrySmith

Partularadiolata

Photo@ Borry Smfh

Partula salifana ( EXTINCT)

tamoana tragilrs

snailson Guam.Snailsthatliveon vegetation Thereare66 speciesof nativeterrestrial are referredto as treesnails,whilethosethat burrowunderdecayingleavesand soil arecalledlandsnails.All are knownas "akaleha"'inChamorro.All evolvedin isolation from manyof the predatorsand parasitesfoundin continentalareas.The treesnails and evolved had so few enemiesthatthey no longerneededto reproduceprolifically to haveonlya few youngat a timeand to take one to severalyearsto reachmaturity. On Guam,all of them are now rare,endangered,or extinct. Severalfactorsworkin combinationto threatenthe treesnails,includinghabitatloss pesticides, to agriculture anddevelopment, wildlandfires,competition fromintroduced species,and predationby a large introducedflatworm(Platydemusmanokwari).

GIANT AFRICANSNAIL Achatinafulica Introducecl Specles

Photo O Bory Smith

FLATWORM Platydemusmanokwari Introcluced Species

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At leastone speciesof tree snail,the endemicPartulasalifana,andtwo speciesof land snailsare now extincton Guam.All of Saipan'stree snailsand two of Rota's threespeciesare also extinct. A numberof introducedsnailsalso occuron Guam,the mostwell knownbeingthe giantAfricansnail.Alsoknownlocallyas "akaleha"', theycameto GuamduringWorld War ll, perhapsby hidingaboard a cargo ship. Some biologiststhink they were deliberatelybroughthere for peopleto eat. The giantAfricansnail is still found at manylocationsaroundthe island.However,it is muchlesscommontodaythanin the pest.lts numbersare probably 1960sand 1970s,when it becamean agricultural controlledby the flatworm.This snail grows quicklyand can reachfull size in two years.Some snailsover seven incheslong have been found, but most are about threeinches.The adultslay hundredsof eggsin loosesoiland underleaves. lt snailpredator. The flatworm,knownas'tagulantAno"'inChamorro,is a voracious Duringthe day,it hidesin leaflitter, is 1-3 inches(2.5-7.5cm) longand is nocturnal. and underlogs and rocks.lts impacton nativesnailsis similarto that of the brown The intentional introduction of the flatwormto treesnakeon Guam'sbirdpopulations. otherPacificislandsshouldbe discouraged.

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Theor:ginalFish& WildlifeFactShâ&#x201A;Źetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSponFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildlileResources of theDepartment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam CoastalManagement Programof the Bweauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting(May 2002)waslundedby the GuamEnvironmental Proteclion Agencypursuantto the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries '192 may be sentto the Divisionof Aqualic& WildlifeResources, DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

AYUYU

COCONUTCRAB Regulated Species

Native Species

Birguslatro

PhotoORobertF Myers

is a verypopulardishat fiestasandfamilypartiesbecause of its crabor ayuyuas it is calledin Chamorro, Coconut mostarecaptured by taste.lt cangrowquitelarge,witha legspanof up to threefeet(90cm).However, delicious closeto thissize, crabhuntersbeforetheygetanywhere gianthermitcrabsthatbegintheirlifein thesea. Adultfemaleslaytheireggsin thesea. The Ayuyuarebasically eggshatchintotinylarvaethatdriftwiththe currentsfor a few monthsbeforesettlingto the bottomwherethey andcrawlupon thebeach.At thistime,theylookvery intotinycrabs.They then climbinto a seashell transform anddependon theirownhardshellfor protection. muchlikehermitcrabs.Soontheyleavetheirseashell Theayuyudigsholesinwhichtheyhideduringtheday.At nighttheycomeoutto lookforfood.Theywilleatalmost fruits,plantsandrottenwood.Theirfavorite food,of course,is coconut. Usingtheirstrongclaws, anything including withcoconut theytearawaythetoughcoconuthuskandthen,somehow, crackthenutinside.lf youarenotfamiliar strongclawsthatcangripandtearanyobjectwithinreach. crabs,do nottryto captureone.Theyhaveincredibly Youngayuyumaybeeatenbysomeofthepredators otherthanhumans. enemies Fullgrownayuyuhavenonatural Ayuyugrowveryslowlyand pigs, lizards. andmonitor wild dogs, to theisland,suchas rats, thatpeoplehavebrought OnGuam,giantayuyuarerarelndevensmalloneshavebecomehardto find. ln some areeasiiyoverharvesLO. must however, itsshell(orcarapace) places,theycanno longerbe found.Theayuyumaybe huntedyear-round, penalty up to a of and carries is crabs illegal sized Taking under (7.5 inches across. cm) or more measure three jail, or both. $500or 90 daysin

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through TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic theSportFish&Wildli{eRestoration of theDepartment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam & WildliJe Resources Programof the BureauoJPlanning. Thisfourthprinting(May Coastallvlanagement Proteclron Agencypursuanl to the 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe UnitedStatesEnvironmentai Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries Environmental 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, lvlangilao. Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone{671)735-3955/6.

BABUENHALOMTANO'

WILD PIG

Regulatee|Ga:meSpecies Domesticpigswere broughtto Guam by the Spanishin t h e la t e 1 6 0 0 s . T h e f irs t s t o c k p ro b a b lyc a m e f r o m d o me s t ic h e rd s in t h e P h ilip p in e sa n d w a s l i k e l y introduced to feedthe soldiers,governmentservants,and presenton Guam. Some of this domestic missionaries s t o c k e v e n t u a lly e s c a p e d f ro m c a p t iv i t y o r w e r e releasedand establishedwild, free living intentionally populations in the forest,completelyaway from people. Thesewere the ancestorsof our wild pigs now foundin the boonies. wild pigs are Knownin Chamorroas babuenhAlomtdno', pigs. Wild adult malesor boars smaller than domestic typicallyweighfrom 50 to 120 poundsbut can weighup to 300 pounds.Wildpigsare usuallyall black,with stiff bristle-likehair.Some are spottedwith white and red. These mixed colorscomefrom breedingwith farmers' pigs.Both males and femaleshave sharp canineteeth in Chamorro)that are usedfor calledtusks(or "kotniyos" fightingandfeeding.Thesegrowto longlengthsin males and are highlyprizedas trophiesby hunters.

O DAWR Photo

Susscrofa

The wilcipig can raise one litterof babiesevery eight months.They give birthto betweenone and 10 piglets, usuallyfive.The pigletsnursefromthe sow or motherpig for aboutfour monthsuntilthey becomebig enoughto find theirown food. Pigs can eat almostanything.They dig aroundin the forestfloorwiththeirnosesearchingfor f a lle nf ru it s ,y o u n g p la n t s ,c o c o n u t sa n d a n i m a l sl i k e wormsand snails.They feed on farmers'cropssuch as watermelonandtaro,causingconsiderable damage.They alsobuildand usewallows.Wallowsare pitsthattrapwater when it rains.Rooting,wallowing,and tramplingby pigs

cancauseseveredamage to forestandagricultural resources. Suchdamageisvisiblein manyof Guam'sforests today. in northern limestone forestsand to abundant in recentyears.Theyarecommon Pig numbershaveincreased areas. and southern habitat in central lesscommonin savanna Wildpigseasonis yearfor islandsportsmen. a significant amountof recreation Hunting of wildpigsprovides Pigsmaybe huntedonlywitha hunting roundon Guamandthelegalbaglimitistwoperdayand40 perseason. to a halfhouraftersunset. license andduringlegalhuntinghourswhichis a halfhourbeforesunrise

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through Restoration Program, theSportFish& Wildlife administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepadment olAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam l\,,lanagemenl Program (l\,4ay Coastal of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmenlal Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Commrttee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisiono{ Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, themby phone(671)735-3955/6. Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontact

BINADU

DEER PHILIPPINE Regulated Game Species

Introducecl Species

Philippinedeer or bi nAdu i n werebroughtto Guam Chamorro, by the Spanishabout200 years fromthePhilippines, ago.Originally this speciesof deer adaptedwell to the environment on Guamand eventuallyspr eadal l ov er the island.

Maledeerarecalledbucksor toru in Chamorro. Theyaverageabout 125pounds,but the largestones canweighas muchas 300pounds. Femaledeer or does,knownas and aresmaller bdkain Chamorro, . he aver ageabout80 p ounds T bucksgrowpointedantlersthatare usedto fightothermalesandto get the attention of does. Theantlers fall off at the end of the breeding seasonandthebuckgrowsa new, year.Does largersetthe following veryrarelyhaveantlers;thosethat do arecalled"soikeddoes".Does haveonefawnor babyeachyear.

Ceruusmariannus

BinAduaremostlyfoundin theforestwheretheyeata varietyof bushesandgrass.Doesmakea deep-throated easierto whining call.Thisanimalis shyandsometimes barking sound,whilebucksandfawnshavea squeaky pellets) "sign", (called is moreeasilyfound. andhoofprints, hearthanseein theforest.Deer suchas droppings BinAduare protected by law and may be huntedonlyby licensed huntersduringthe legalhuntingseason. Anyone13 yearsor olderis eligiblefor a huntinglicense, whichcan be purchased fromthe Department of Agriculture's Division of AquaticandWildlife Resources in Mangilao or at anyauthorized vendor.Deerhunting year.Legalhuntinghoursare seasonrunsfromOctober throughDecember andall of September thefollowing one-half hourbeforesunrise to one-half houraftersunset. Licensed hunters areallowed totakeoneantlered deer eachseason. thelawand Thisis against at nightareknownas "poachers." Peoplewhohuntdeerallyearlongusingspotlights their legitimate watching deer of andthosewhoenjoy legalhunters lt alsodeprives badforthedeerpopulation. areasof the island,but are more lesscommonin the centraland southern Deerare generally recreation. frompoaching. plentiful in areaswheretheyareprotected in northern forests, especially

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheelswerefirstcreated andf irstproduced through Program, administered theSportFish& WildlifeResloration bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Hesources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam (May Management Program oftheBureau of Planning. This{ourthprinting Coastal pursuant Protection 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Agency to the Protection UnitedStatesEnvironmental AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, themby phone(671) 735-3955/6. Guam96913. Tocontact

BTACKFRANCOTIN Introclucecl Species

RegulateclGame Species

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DAWRphoto by Anne f.iloben

TheBlackFrancolin (noChamorro name)wasintroduced to GuamfromIndiain 1961.Francolins area typeof gamebird,whichmeanstheyarehuntedforsportandfood. TheBlackFrancolin hasdonewellon Guam.Theyarefoundthroughout thesouthern andcentralportions of the islandandpartsof the north.Theylivein fieldswithtallgrassandaremostcommonin savannaandagricultural areasof southern Guam.Theyeatseedsandinsects, including thosethatdamagecrops. The maleis brownand blackwithwhitestreaksand spots.Femaleshavepalebrownplumagewhichactsas camouflage andhelpsthemto blendintotheirgrassyhabitat. Themalebirdsstandon dirtmounds or fenceposts whiletheycallto attracta mate.A malemakesa seriesof loud,harsh"ka-ka-kakaack" soundsevery15 to 20 seconds earlyin themorning. Afterthefemalechooses a partner frommanycallingmales,shewilllayfiveor six grass. in young eggs a shallownestin the The looklikebrownbabydomestic chicksandstartfindingtheirown foodrightaway. Luckyviewersmaysee a henfrancolincrossingthe roadfollowedby her broodof fiveor six young. is the onlygamebirdthatcanbe huntedon Guam.Hunting seasonfor francolins is from The BlackFrancolin per January throughFebruary andagainfromJulythrough August. Thelegalbaglimitis fivebirds dayandthere is no seasonlimit.lt is legalto usehunting dogsforthisbird.Thefrancolin is funto huntanddelicious to eat. -4ffi.-lTIl3"'.6}.'eq5Theorigina1Fish&Wl|d]ifeFactSheetsWerefirstcreatedandfirStprodUcedthroughffi

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CHA'KA

HOUSEMOU'E Mus musculus

RATS/SHREWS

Pholo by Gory.J.Wles

ROOF RAT Rattusrattus

Photo by Gory.J W es

to manyPacificislands. Ratshavebeenintroduced rat (Rattus Guamhas threespecies,the Polynesian exulans),the roof raI (Rattusrattus),and the Norway raI (Rattusnorvegicus). The Polynesianrat (Rattus exulans)is the smallestkindand probablyreached the island withearlyChamorro settlers.lt is notvery now.Theroofratisthemostcommonspecies abundant todayand likelyarrived aboardSpanish ships.Thisrat occursin nearlyall kindsof natural andhuman-made habitats. The Norwayrat is the largestof the three speciesand usuallylivesin urbanareas.lt was first discovered herein 1962. The housemouse(Musmusculus)is anotherrodent t h a t b e c a m ee s t a b l i sh eodn Gu a md u ri n gthe last CHA'KAN AKATEHA (MUsK SHREW) severah l u n d r e dye a rs.T h e mu sksh re w( Suncus Suncusmurunis murinus)is smallandgray,but is nota rodent.lt feeds on insects andothersmallanimals,and was accidentally introduced inthe 1950s. Themouseandshrewboth live in naturalandurbanareas. pestsbecause All five of theseanimalsarecollectively knownin Chamorroas "chA'ka"'. All are considered they havecaused they often live in buildings andcandamagestoredgoodsandfood.But equallyimportant, and problemson many Pacificislandsby preyingon nativeforestbirds,seabirds,lizards, seriousecological otherkindsof nativewildlife. Ratsaregoodat raidingbirdnestsandeatingeggsandyoungbirds.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSponFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bylheDivision ofAquatic & WildlifeResources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Programot the Bureauof Planning. CoastalManagement Thisfourthprinting(May 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuantto the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# |V|009063-02 throughthe Envjronmental Education Committee oltheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6.

CH I C H I RIK A

RUTOUSFANTAIL Subspecies enclemic to Guam

Endangerecl Species

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Extinct

Rhipidura rufifrons uraniae

Photo

by H. D. Proit

TheRufousFantail, they or "chichirika" as it wasknownin Chamorro, usedto befoundalloverGuam.However, browntree snake. dueto predation by theintroduced becameextinctin themid-1980s itstaillikea fan.Whentwo feathersandthe habitof spreading Thisbirdgotitscommonnamefromitsred-brown malechichirika frombranchto branchandflashing theirtails.A male met,theychallenged eachotherbyjumping chichirika wouldshowofffora femalebirdthesameway. Untilrecently, chichirika couldbe heardin thedeepjunglesingingbeautiful songs.Thesongsweremeantnot onlyto helpkeepfamiiiestogetherbutalsoto warnstrangechichirika to stayaway.Theyoftenspentmostof the daypecking bugsoffleavesor flyingoutsuddenly to graban insectin theair.Smallbristles on thesidesof their billshelpeddireetinsectsintotheirmouths. needles andspiderwebs,abouttenfeetabove ironwood wouldbuilda smallnestof grasses, Pairsof chichirika the ground.Theywouldgluethe nesttogetherwiththeirsaliva.The eggswerethencaredfor by bothparents, andcouldfly whowouldoftenraisetwofamiliesa year.Thebabieswerebornnaked,butbecamefullyfeathered was lslands, this in theMariana subspecies arefoundelsewhere in about15days, Although similarchichirika to or foundonlvon Guamandnowhere elsein theworld. endemic

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated through andfirstproduced theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic oftheDepartment olAgriculture incollaboration & WldlifeResources withtheGuam (May Coastal lvlanagemâ&#x201A;Źnt Program oftheBureau of Planning. Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Proteclion Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education oftheWaterPlanning Committee Committee. Allinquiries 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisiono,fAquatic& WildlifeResources, themby phone(671) 735-3955/6, Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontact

CH U C HU K O'

PACIFICREEI-HERON

Native Shorebird

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Egrettasacra

DAWRphoto by Anne Ny'oben

Reef-Heron is a largeshorebird withlonglegsanda longbill. ThePacific or chuchuko' as it iscalledin Chamorro, purewhite,whileothersarecompletely It comesin twocolorphases.Somechuchuko'are darkgray. Bothhave yellowish legsandbills.Theseheronshavebroadwingsand,likeallheronsandbitterns, tucktheirnecksintoan whentheyfly. S-shape Chuchuko' occurin manyareasof thetropical Pacific.On Guam,theyarecommonly foundin smallnumbers on Chuchuko'are expertfishermen.Theywadein shallowwateralongthe shoreandcatchmostlyfishandcrabs. Theyusuallykilltheirpreyby spearingit andeatingit whole. nestfromAprilto Julyin smallgroupson isletscloseto shore.Theybuilda nestof twigsandgrassin Chuchuko' laytwoto threeeggsandtheyoungarebornalmostnaked. a hiddenareanearthegroundor in trees.Females leavethe Bothparentshaveto workextrahardto findfishto feedthegrowingbabies.Oncetheyoungchuchuko' nest,theymustwatchtheirparentsandpracticetheirfishingbeforetheycanfly awayandliveon theirown.

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TheorigihalFish& WildlifeFaclSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlileRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildlifeResources of theDepanment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management (May Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting 2002)waslundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuantto the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeFlesources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao,Gram 96913. Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

CHUGUANGGUANG GUAM TTYCATCHER Endangerecl Species

Species endemic to Guam

Extinct

Myiagra freycineti (GuamFlycatcher) Liketheko'ko'(GuamRail),thechuguangguang wasendemic to Guamwhichmeansit was ateonlyinsects, whichit caughtin foundonlyon Guamandnowhere thechuguangguang else.An insectivore, theairor snatched whichhelpedit capture offof foliage. lt hada widebillandlongwhiskers, flyinginsects. Chug u a n g g u a w n ge rea g g re ssi ve b i rd sw hichchasedawayintr uderwith s a loudscoldingc al l ,An adul t chuguangguang wouldoftenapproach a personwhoimitated itsseriesofwhistle-like calls.Whenangry,thebird wouldraisea crownof feathers on thetopof itshead. Chuguangguang nestedin smalltrees suchas tAngantAngan. Theyusedthintwigs,roots,grassandleavesheld together withspiderwebsto builda small,tidynest.Theylaidoneor twocream-colored eggswhichhada band of brownspotson them.Likemostsmallbirds,the femaleate the shelloncethe babieshad hatched.Both juicyinsects. to flyin as littleas20 andlearned parents Thenakedyounggrewfeathers wouldbringthenestlings year. year-round families many as three a nested andraisedas days.Thechuguangguang lt was lastseenin Predation for the extinction of the chuguangguang. by the browntreesnakeis responsible 1985in northern Guam.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildlifeResources oftheDepanmentolAgriculture ;ncollaboration withtheGuam l\,4anagement Program (May Coastal of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitsdStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Commiltee, Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionol Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyFload, lVlangilao. themby phone(671) 735-3955/6. Guam96913. Tocontact

C H U NGE '

WHITETERN

Native Seabird

Pholo by Roberl E. Mumford

Gygis alba

The WhiteTern,knownlocallyas "chunge'",is one of Guam'sfamiliarseabirds.lt can be seenhoveringoverthe reef,divingdownto eat smallfishor squid. Fishermenlikethisbirdbecauseit oftenleadsthemto schoolsof tuna a n d mAh im Ahi. Chunge'donotbuilda nest;instead,theylaya singleegg on a baretreebranch.The femalesitson the eggwhile the male huntsfor fish. The malefeedsthe femaleuntilthe egg hatches.The Iinyluzzy chickhas big feet to grab the branchtightly.lts feathersare spottedwith variousshadesof brownto match the branches.Both parents bringsmallfish in theirbillto helpthe chickgrowquickly.Chunge'keepthe samematesthroughout theirlives.lf the chickfallsto the ground,the parentswilltry to feed and protectit. Stormsand hungrypredatorsmakelifehard for the chunge'.lf a personcomestoo closeto the baby,the parentsmay fly down and peck him on the head. lf a chunge'getsthirstywhilefishing,it can dip downand drinkseawater.Seabirds'bodiesare ableto get rid of extrasalt that would kill most otheranimals. Predationby the browntree snake has nearlyeliminatedthe chunge'populationon the main islandof Guam; however,a healthypopulationof severalhundredbirdscan still be foundon Cocos lsland.

TheoriginalF;sh& Wildli{eFactSheetswerelirstcreatedandJirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildlifeResources ol theDepartment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam Coastal lvlanagement Program of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting (l\,4ay 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanninq Committee, Allin0uiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeReso-urces. 192 Dairyhoad. themby phone(671) 735-3955/6. Mangilao, Guam96913, Tocontact

DUKDOK/U/VIANG

LAND HERMITCRAB

Native Species

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Coenobitabrevimanus uoenobita brevimanus

phorooRoberrF Myers

Locally called"dukdok' whentheyareyoungor "umang" whentheybecomeadults,hermitcrabsareso named becausetheyhidein theirshellslikehermitswhenever theyare threatened. Theyare oftenseenin groups forfoodor newshells.Thereareseveral kindsof hermitcrabson Guam.Mostliveintheseabuta few searching liveon land. a fewweeksas tinydriftinglarvae, they All hermitcrabsare hatched fromeggslaidin thesea.Afterspending settleto thebottomandfinda tinyemptyshellto livein.Mostkindsof hermitcrabsspendtheirentirelivesin the sea,butlandhermitcrabscrawloutontothe beachsoonafterfindingtheirfirstshell.Oncetheyhitthe beach, theystayon land,exceptwhenthefemalereturnsto thewaterto lay hereggs. Aftertheirdriftinglarvalstage,hermitcrabsspendtheirentirelivesinsidea borrowed shellwhichtheyusefor protection, sincetheirownbodycoveringis softandweak.Whentheyoutgrowa shelltheysimplyfindanother largeroneandtrade.ThegiantAfricansnailhasbeena realfriendto landhermitcrabssincetheirempty slightly shellsmakeperfecthomes. Theyfeedmostlyat nearthebeach,buttheymayalsobefoundfarinland. Landhermitcrabsaremostabundant for hermitcrabs foodis nota problem nightandremainin coolshadyplacesduringtheheatof theday.Finding rottingwood,dead including coconuts andotherfallenfruits,plantmaterial, sincetheywilleatalmostanything animals, andgarbage.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreateoandfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildlileResources of theDepartment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam (May Coastal Managemenl Program of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprintjng Protection 2002)waslundedby theGuamEnvironmental Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Commrttee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aqualic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, l\4angilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6.

D U L I LI

TESSER GOTDEN-PIOVER

Mlgratory Shorebircl

Pluvialisdominica

Photo by H.D. Prott

The LesserGolden-Plover, knownin Chamorro as dulili,is Guam'smostcommonshorebird. Eachvear,thisbird arrivesbythehundreds fromAugustto October to spendthewinteron Guam'swarmbeaches andlawns.InApril,it migrates allthewayto AlaskaandRussiato raisea family. Northern summersare shotl,sothesebirdshurryto raisetheiryoungbeforelheweatherbecomes cold.Theparents makehiddennestsontheground. Theyfeedinsects to theirchicks.Inthefall,plovers flyto thetropical Pacific. Dulilispendmuchoftheirtimesearching fortinycrabsandmarine wormsonthereef.Theycanalsobefoundonlawns in winter,huntingforfliesandbugs.Theirgoldenbrownfeathersfalloutas summergetscloser.Newblackfeathers growoutontheirfront. Adulili's headbecomes whiteonthesidesandneck.Thisbeautifulcolorchange attracts a mate to helpraisea family. Afewdulilistayallsummer andneverflynorlhatall.Theseareyoungbirdsnotoldenoughto breed.Theircolornever changes andtheyspendthesummer atthebeach.Duliliwillgatherwithothershorebirds. Eachkindofshorebird hunts a different wayor eatsa different foodso thereis plentyof foodforall. Anothercommonkindof ploveron Guamis the Mongolian Plover(Charadrius mongolus). Otherplovers,although (Charadrius uncommon,are the Black-Bellied Plover(Pluvialissquatarola), the GreatSand-Plover lesehenaultii), theCommonRingedPlover(Charadrius hiaticula),the LittleRingedPlover(Charadrius dubius),and theSnowyPlover (Charadrius alexandrinus)All ploverssharethe collective Chamorroterm"dulili"and all are protectedunderthe FederalMigratory BirdAct.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildliteRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WldlifeResources of theDepartmenl ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam C-oaslal Management Program ofthe Bureau of Planning. Thisfourthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protect;on Agencypursuantto the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection Agencyi\ward# M009063.02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanningCommittee. Allinq'uiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao,Guarn96913. Tocontactthemby phqne(671) 735-3955/6.

E G I GI

MICRONESIANHONEYEATER Subspecies enclemic to the Marianas Extinct on Guam

EnclangereclSpecies

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Myzomelarubrata saffordi

on Guamsincel9S6.Predationbythe Honeyeater has not beenobserved Oncecommon,the Micronesian Fortunately, thisspeciesstilloccurson most introduced browntreesnakeis responsible for the bird'sdecline. otherislandsin theMarianas. Knownin Chamorro as the"egigi", the honeyeater wasoneof Guam'sprettiest songbirds. Itssongconsisted of a melodious seriesof notessungat dawn.lt calledotheregigiwitha two-note whistle. Egigiwereveryactivewheneatingnectarfromtheflowers of hibiscus, coconuts, andotherplants.Theyhopped aboutrapidlyandcouldvisit20 to 30 flowersper minute.Theirlong,curvedbillhelpedthemreachthe sweet nectar.Thisspeciesalsoate insectsthatbecametrappedinsidethe flowers. gluedtogether withspiderwebs. needles rootsandironwood nestsoutof grasses, Egigibuilttinycup-shaped defenda nestingand coloredeggsspottedwithbrowneachyear.Maleegigiwould Theyusuallylaytwooff-white feedingareafortheirfamily.A flashof brightredwasoftenallyouwouldseeas an angrymalechasedan intruder awaywithitsloudscolding call.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlile FactSheets werefirstcrealed andfirslproduced through theSpoftFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDeparlment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Managemenl (May Coastal Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the Protection UnitedSlatesEnvironmental AgencyAward# |V|009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Allinquiries Committee. may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

EURA'IAN TREE 'PARROW Introclucecl Species

l. , j

DAwRphoiobvAnneMoben

passer montanus Passer montanus

to GuamafterWorldWarll and is oneof the mostcommonbirds Tree-Sparrow was introduced The Eurasian is mostlybrownwitha blackchinandearpatches.Somepeople Thetree-sparrow onourislandtoday. remaining Thetree-sparrow withthe RufousFantail, a nativeforestbirdthatis nowextinct. haveconfused thetree-sparrow name. However, a "chichirika", Fantail's Chamorro because whichwastheRufous is evenmistakenly calledthe hascometo meananytinybrownbird. localnamewas nevergivento the tree-sparrow, theterm"chichirika" withpeopleandstaysawayfromforests. Thetree-sparrow is a tameurbandweller.lt livesin closeassociation parks,and homes.At night,they Flocksof tree-sparrows canoftenbe seenaroundcitystreets,largebuildings, gatherin largegroupsto roost.Justbeforedusk,roostsare noisylocations withmanybirdschirping. These areas. occurin largetreesfoundin openlawnsor downtown roostsnormally ontheislanddespite hasbeenableto survive Tree-sparrow UnlikenearlyallofGuam'snativebirds,theEurasian however, many birdsavoidsnakes prey tree-sparrows, on some presence do tree snakes. Snakes of brown the made of driedgrasses go. nests are Tree-sparrow andnestingin placeswheresnakesareunableto by sleeping andstructures. fourto sixeggs.Theyareplacedin manykindsof buildings contain andusually

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FAHANG

BROWNNODDY

Native Seabircl

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Anous stolidus The Brown Noddy,known in Chamorroas "fAhang",is a popularbird with Guam'sfishermen.These brown alsochase.By seabirdsfollowschoolsof smallfish and squidthat big fish suchas yellowfintunaand mAhimAhi followingthe fAhang,fishermencan locateschoolsof bigfishto catch.Unlikesomeseabirds,fAhangdo not dive for fish,but skimalongthe surfaceof the waterand snap up theirpreyin flight. Theseable-bodied fliersnestmostlyat OrotePoint,buoysinApraHarbor,and smallisletsalongGuam'ssouthwest and northeastcoasts.Sometimesyou can see fAhangperchedon the reefor on floatinglogs.When they want a bath,theydip theirheadand chestintothe water.Likeotherseabirds,theydrinksaltwater.They havea special saltglandthat gets rid of the extrasalt. The namenoddycomesfromthe male'shabitof bobbinghis headat a femalewhen it is timeto mate. The birds buildtheirnestsof stickson limestonerocks,clifffaces,and in trees.The fAhang'sbrowncolorblendsin perfectly withthe rockycliffs.The femalelaysone egg and sitson the eggwhilethe malebringsherfood. BabyfAhangare coveredwith grayishdown and will ofteneat their weightin fish everyday. Parentsprotecttheiryoung carefully and will even attackpeoplewho come too closeto the nest.

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FactSheets werefirstcreated Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife andfirstproduced through theSpodFish& WildllfeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment olAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam (May Managemenl Program Coastal oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfoufihprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 UnitedStatesEnvironmental through the Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, themby phone(671)735-3955/6. Guam96913.Tocontact

F AN I H I

MARIANA FRUITBAI

EnclangereelSpecies

Enclemic to the Marlana Islands The Marianafruitbator fanihias it is called in Chamorro,is oneof Guam'sendangered mammals.lt livesonly on Guam and the other Marianalslands.At one time, huge flocksof fanihifilledthe eveningsky.Counts madeby the DivisionofAquaticandWildlife Resourcesshow that numbersof fanihileft on Guam vary from about 200-600bats annually, dependingon how manyfly back and forthto Rota. Fanihiroost in trees duringthe day. They live togetherin groupsor colonies.They havegoodeyesightandsmell,andare most activeat night.Thesegracefulflyerseatthe fruitof pandanus, wildfigs,fagot, breadfruit, and cycads,and the flowersof kapok, coconut,andgaogao,plusmanyotherfruits andblossoms.Thefanihihasonlyonebaby ayear.The youngfanihiclings to itsmother andnursesmilkfromheruntilit isoldenough to findfoodon itsown.

Pteropusmariannus

Phoio by Dr Mer in Tu11le,Bol Conservotion nlernolionol

Fanihilivedeepin theforestwheretheywill not be disturbedby people.At present,the most seriousthreatto fanihion Guam is predationon youngbats by the browntree snake. Anotherproblemis that fanihiare stillhuntedbecausemanvolderChamorros liketo eat them.

Overthe years,manyfanihihave beenshot and eatenby peoplewho do not carewhetherwe haveany fanihileftfor futuregenerations to see and appreciate.Becausenearlyall of our forestbirdsare gone,the fanihiis one of the few pollinatorsand seeddispersersleftin theforest.Withoutthefanihi,manytypesof foresttreescoulddisappearbecause therewillbe no animalsleftto spreadtheirseedsand pollinatetheirflowers. species,whichmeanstheyare the fanihihas been declaredan endangered To protecttheremainingpopulation, protected by bothlocalandfederallaws.The publicis remindedthatit is illegalto hunt,kill,capture,or in anyway harm the fanihi.Violatorsare subjectto a penaltyof up to $5,000or one yearin prison,or both. A secondsmallerkind of fanihi,the littleMarianafruit bat (Pteropustokudae)was found on our island,however,it becameextinctabout1970.

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TheoriginalFish& WildliteFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, adminislered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources o{theDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal l\4anagement Program (May of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6.

GuAll'EK

GECKOS

HOU'E G E C K O Hemidactylusfrenatus

Photo O Roberi

MUTITATEDGE(KO

F. MyeG

Gehyramutilata

are someof the as mostarecalledlocally, Geckos,or "guAli'ek', geckos occuron our Six species of on Guam. bestknownanimals theoceanicgecko,Micronesian island.Severalofthese,including MouRNrxccd['ilU*"'n*' gecko,and Pacificslendertoedgecko,haverecentlydisappeared Lepidodactyl us Iugub ris (brown of predation because bykulepbla or becomerare,probably treesnakes) or cha'ka(muskshrews). gecko, the housegeckoandthe mourning Twotypesof guAli'ek, are well adaptedto livingwith people.Bothare numerousin peopleseemostoftenon wallsand buildings andarethespecies foodsareflyinginsects which Theirfavorite ceilings oftheirhomes. to lights. areattracted sound. makea loudchirping Mostreptiles aresilent,but guAli'ek probably night, to warn off the day and times of Theycallat all featureof Anotherunusual theirterritories. entering otherguAli'ek the guAli'ek istheirspecially-shaped toes,whichhelpthemrunon smoothverticalsurfacessuchas wallsandtrees. Gudli'ekusuallylay two smallroundeggsthathatchin abouta haveto immediately month.The babyguAli'ek beginfindingtheir lf suchas catsand largerguAli'ek. ownfoodandavoidpredators, In loses it and escapes. it simply guAli'ek its tail, is by caught a time,it willgrowa newtail. Photo O Roberl F.lvlvers

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it a signof good andmanypeopleconsider areharmless GuAli'ek luckto havethemin their house. through TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirslproduced ofAquatic theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision oftheDepanmentof Agricullure incollaboration withtheGuam & Wildlife Resources (l\Aay Management Program of theBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting Coastal pursuant Protection Agency to the 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 through the UnitedStatesEnvironmental oftheWaterPlanning Commiltee. Allinquiries Environmental Education Committee Aquatic Wildlife Resources, 192 Dairy Road, may be sentto the Divisiono{ & Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontaclthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

HI T I TA I

MONITORLIZARD

Introduced Species

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Varanusindicus however, Micronesia hasnotrueiguanas. Thishandsomely-spotted lizardis oftenmistakenly called aniguana, The monitorlizard,or "hilitai"as it is calledin Chamorro,has a patternof yellowor whitespots on a dark green whichblendsin perfectlywithjungleleaves. background Likekulepbla(browntreesnakes),hilitaihavescalesthatare arrangedin neatrowsand overlaplikeshinglesor is the sameas This meansthattheirbodytemperature fit closelytogetherliketiles.Theyare alsocold-blooded. rocks logs in orderto stay on and They are oftenseen layingin the sun of theirsurroundings. the temperature warm. for a longtime. They No one knowshowthe hilitaigot to Guambut it is certainthattheyhavebeenin Micronesia speed,climbtrees,dig holesand swim. are verywelladaptedto islandlivingand can run withconsiderable (90cm) longhilitaiis aboutaveragesize.Deepin thejungletheymaygrowto fouror fivefeet(1,2-1.5 A three-foot m). These reptileswill eat almostanythingthat they can catch includinginsects,snails,smallerlizards,rats, crabs,birds,bird eggs and dead animals.They can even catchfish in the water. The hilitaidigsa holeundera rockor treefor a nestingden. In this hole,the femalewill lay betweeneightto 12 shell. egg, but with a Soft,leather-like eggs,eachaboutthe sizeof a chicken'S on Guamalthoughtheirnumbersmay havedecreaseddue to huntingand predation Theyare foundeverywhere of youngby snakes.

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KAKKAK

YEttOW BITTERN

Native Species

DAWR photo bV Gory J. Wlles

lxobrychus srnensis

The YellowBitternis the onlynativebirdstillcommonly foundon our island.Chamorros callthem"kakkak" Micronesia, as wellas inAsia. becauseof the noisethey make.They canbe foundon islandsthroughout paleyellowbirdswithblackwingstripes arefairlycommonin Guam'ssouthernsavanna, Thesemedium-sized, Theyareexcellent huntersandeatmostly HagAtfra. northernforests,andevenurbanareassuchas downtown geckos,snails,skinksandinsects. Theyperchon coconutpalmsor on the groundandextendtheirheadand neckto snatchpassingprey. Kakkakarenotstrongfliers.Wheninflight,theirlegstrailbehindtheirbodiesandtheirnecksarefoldedintoan Sshape. Theynestin a varietyof locations, suchas in lowshrubson offshoreislets,in lrees,andamonggrasses at freshwater wetlands. Threeor fourwhiteeggsarelaid.Oncetheeggshatch,bothparentsfeeddigested food to thebabies. in an attemptto hidefrom Theyusetheircolorsto blendintothe background Kakkakare mastersof disguise. or perching tofindkakkaknesting lt is notunusual predators dangerf romhumans. or if theysenseanyimmediate young you that appearto find kakkak lf park HagAtfla. in downtown and areas officebuildings alongsidewalks, parents hunting for to return f rom leavethemalone.Theymayonlybewaitingfortheir belost,hurtor abandoned, foodandaremerelyusingtheircolorsto protectthemselves.

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KARABAO

WATERBUFFALO

Introclucecl Species

Protectecl Species

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Bubalusbubalis Bubalus bubalis

Karabao, aswaterbuffalo arecalledlocally, werebrought to GuamfromthePhilippines inthelate1600s.Because of theirgreatstrength, theywereusedbyfarmersto pullplowsandcartsandhave been called"livingtractors". In recentyears,however,theyhavebeenreplaced At onetimetherewereseveralthousand bymachine tractors. karabao on Guam,butnowfewerthana hundred mayremainon farms.A wildpopulation of about300animals protected alsolivesin thesavanna andforestsof southern are on Guamwhichmeansthatit is Guam.Karabao against thelawto hunt,killor in anywayharmtheseanimals. Closelyrelatedto theAfricancapebuffalo, karabaohavethegeneralappearance of domestic cattle.Adultsweigh 1,500to 1,800poundsandhavefairlylonggrayor blackhairthinlycovering theirhugebodies. Theyhavea tuft of hairon theirforehead andat thetipof theirtail. Normally theyaresilent,buttheywillgivea trembling snortif theyaresurprised.Bothmalesandfemaleshavemassivehorns.Sincekarabaohavenosweatglands,theycool themselves by lyingin waterholesor mudduringthe heatof the day.Mudcakedontotheirbodiesalsoprotects insects. themfrombothersome In areas and evenings. feedingmainlyin the coolof the mornings Karabaoeat grass and othervegetation, vegetation and damage trailscancauseconsiderable andwell-worn wheretheyformlargeherds,theirwallowing soilerosion.In someplacesof theworld,karabaoareusedfor milk,justlikea cow,or theymaybe eaten.They liveto be about18yearsoldandhaveonecalfeachyear.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSpoftFish& WildlileRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildlifeResources ofthe Departffientof Agriculture in collaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program of theBureauof Planning. (May Thisfourthprinting pursuant 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agency io the UniledStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries '192Dairyiload, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, phone (671 3. To them 735-3955/6. Mangilao, Guam9691 contact by )

KO'KO'

GUAM RAII

EnclangeredSpecies

Enclemic to Guam TheGuamRailis a specialbird.Locallyknownas the "ko'ko"', it is endemic to Guam,whichmeansit is found onlyon Guamandnowhere elsein theworld.Thisbird is darkbrownwithwhitestripeson its stomach.

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A Chamorro legendtellshowthe koko'gotits stripes. One day a monitor lizard,or "hilitai",and a ko'ko' decidedthey lookedtoo plain,so the ko'ko' began painting the hilitai.Whenit wasthe ko'ko'sturnto be painted,the hilitaipainteda few strokesthendecided he was tir ed and left all but the ko' k o'ss tom ac h Theko'ko'becameso angrythathe bitthe unpainted. to the hilitai'stonguein two.This is why,according legend,hilitaihaveforkedtonguesand cannotmake noise.

of yearsago. Theko'ko'cameto ourislandthousands At thattimeit wasableto fly.However, sincetherewere no predatorson Guam,it slowlylostthe abilityto fly. Butthenpeoplearrived ontheislandandbrought dogs, cats,rats,andmonitorlizardswiththem.Sometime after WorldWarll,thepredatory browntreesnakealsofound itswayto ourisland. Sincethe ko'ko'is flightless and buildsits shallowneston the ground,it was easyfor thesepredators to catchthe ko'ko'andits babies. Ko'ko'lay up to fourlarge,freckled eggs. Youngko'ko'leavethe nestwhentheyare onlyone dayold.Their parents Theyliketo livein theneattheeggshell.Adultko'ko'eatinsects as wellas snails,skinks,andgeckos. grassland rain. They like to bathe in the When their numbers werehigh, mixed with or forest. also brushyareas in tallgrassearlyin themorning. theycouldoftenbe foundalongthe roadside The ko'ko'wasso commonthatlocalhunterswereableto huntand eatall the ko'ko'theywanted.Nowit is localandfederallawto capture, against harass, or killa ko'ko'.Dueto snakepredation, theko'ko'population has becomeextinctin thewild. programwas established In 1983,a captivebreeding to ensurethatthe ko'ko'doesnot becomeextinct. The captiveko'ko'population, as of early1994,standsat over200birdson Guamandin variouszoosthroughout the population continental UnitedStates.An experimental of railswas begunin'1990in nearbyRotawhere (browntreesnakes). Over50 ko'ko' conditions aresimilarto Guam'sandthereare no kulepbla environmental survived. More releases are on Rotain 1990and 1991,but it is not knownif any of the birds werereleased planned forthefuture. willhaveflourished population the Rotapopulation is controlled or eradicated, whenGuam'skulepbla Hopefully, enoughso thatwe willbe ableto bringthe ko'ko'backto its nativehabitat.

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Theoriginal FactSheets werefirstcreated Fish& Wildlife andfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, adminislered bylheDivision ofAquatic & WildlifeResources ol theDepartment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program of theBureauol Planning. (May Thislourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the Protection AgencyAward# l\.4009063-02 UnitedSlatesEnvironmental lhroughthe Environmental Education Committee oi theWaterPlannrnq Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeReso-urces. 192Dairyhoad. Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

K U TE P B LA

BROWNTREESNAKE Introducecl Species The kulepbla,as the browntreesnakeis calledin Chamorro,is an introducedspeciesthat probably arrivedon Guamhiddenin shipcargo. ratsnake, It is oftenmistakenly calledthe Philippine however,scientistshavedetermined thatthis reptile is the browntree snakeand does not evenoccurin lt is nativeto PapuaNew Guinea, the Philippines. the Solomonlslandsand northernAustralia. The kulepbladepositsup to 12 leatheryshelled eggs in caves,hollowtrees,or otherplaceswhere theyare protectedfromdryingout and overheating. The eggs hatchafteran incubationperiodof about 90 days.The young kulepblaare about15 inches (3 8 c m) lo n g wh e n t h e y h a t c h , b u t m a y r e a c h lengthsof threefeet (90 cm) in abouta year.They are aboutfourto fivefeet (1.2to 1.5 m) longwhen they first reproduceand can grow to as longas 10 feet (3 m).

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PholoORobedF lvlyefs

The kulepblais one of only two snakesfoundon Guam.The otheris the blindsnakeor ulo'Attelong, as it is calledin Chamorro. The kulepblalivesmainly in trees and is nocturnalwhich means it is most activeat night.lt is sometimesfoundin or around homes,commercial buildings andotherurbanareas in searchof food and hidingspots.

Theyare the causeof the Thesesnakesfeedon birds,eggs,lizards,rats,mice,and othersmallmammals. to the fruitbats,thuscontributing Theyalsopreyon babyMariana of Guam'snativeforestbirdpopulation. decline population. go periods for long of the Like most reptiles, the kulepbla can without food. overalldecline bat Kulepbla arepoisonous. Severalbabieson Guamhavenearlydiedafterbeingbittenby it.Thisis whyparents areadvised to keepkulepbla awayfrominfants andsmallchildren.Kulepblaarealsoconstrictors whichmeans theykilltheirpreyby wrapping Theyalsokilltheirpreyby themselves aroundtheirpreyandthensqueezing. thepoisonto slowlyleakintothevictim.Thesesnakeswillstrikeand holding thusallowing on to it andchewing, haveiittlereasonto fearthem. but peoplegenerally biteif cornered, placeon ourisland. Thus,the is introduced or is notnativeto Guam,it hasno legitimate thekulepbla Because ortakethemliveandturn allkulepbla thepublicto destroy Resources encourages andWildlife Division ofAquatic the is ongoingto developa methodto controlor eradicate study. Research themin to the DAWRfor scientific k ule p b l a o n G u a m.

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FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife Program, theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration administered bytheDivision ofAquatic oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam & Wildlife Resources (May lvlanagement Program of theBureauof Planning, Thisfourlhprinting Coastal Protection Agencypursuant to lhe 2002)wasIundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe UnitedStatesEnvironmental oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries Environmental Education Committee 192 DairyRoad, may be senlto lhe Divisionot Aquatic& WildlifeResources, Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

NGAxGA

GA'KARI'U NIGHTINGATE REED-WARBIER

MARIANA MALLARD Anasoustaleti

Enclangered Species Enclemic to the Marianas Extinct

Acrocephalusluscinia

EnclangereclSpecies Enclemic to the Marianas

P h o t o b y U S . F s h o n d W d l fe Se r vi ce

or "ngAnga" as it wasknown of Guam'swetlands.TheMarianaMallard, Bothof thesebirdswereonceresidents lt alsolivedon TinianandSaipan,but nowhere locally, wasthe onlywildduckto nestin the Marianas. else.lt becameextinctbecause of overhunting marshes. The lastsighting andthe lossof freshwater on Guamwasin 1967nearthe U. S. NavalStation. The lastbirdson Saipanwereseenin 1979,whenthreewerecaughtfor a program. Unfortunately, thebirdsdidnotreproduce. captivebreeding seen.Thebirdsateplants, flocksof 50wereoccasionally although livedin pairsor smallgroups, NgAnga usually seedsandinsects. -Reed-Warbler Rivermarsh,and otherfreshwater oncelivedin theAganaSwamp,AtantAno The Nightingale means"dweller amongthereeds". Thebirdswere wetlands withthickreedbeds. ltsChamorro name"ga'karisu" to see.Theiryellow-brown colorhelpedthemto hideamongthedrycanestalks. oftenshyanddifficult Thega'karisu wasknownforitsbeautiful oftrills,warbles, andwhistles. The andloudsong,whichwascomposed birdswouldsingfor upto severalminutesat a time,oftenfroman exposedperchon topof a tallreedstalk.Most Thesebirdscaughtinsectswithlong theirterritories. by the malesas theydefended singingwas performed curvedbills. bythebrown fires,predation thatwetland believe werelastseenon Guamin thelate1960s.Biologists Ga'karisu Alamagan, thespecies stilllivesonSaipan, Fortunately, mayhavecausedtheirextinction. treesnake,andpesticides grass, tAngantAngan, thickets of ga'karisu live in upland islands, Onthese Marianas. intheNorthern andAguiyan andforest.

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werefirstcreated andfirslproduced through Fish& Wildlife FactSheets Theoriginal Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration incollaboration withtheGuam Resources oftheDepailment ofAgriculture & Wildlife (May Program oftheBureau of Planning. Thisfourthprinting Coastal Management Proteciion Agencypursuant to the 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental AgencyAward# |V009063-02 throughthe Protection UnitedStatesEnvironmental Allinquiries Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Environmental 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, themby phone(671)735-3955/6. Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontact

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BRIDLEDWHTTE-EYE Zosterops conspiciIIatus conspiciIlatus

Subspecies endemic to Guam

Enclangered Species

Extinct on Guam

Pointng coudesy of H.D Profi

wereoncevery common throughout Guam. as "nossa"', Thesetiny yellow-green birds,knownin Chamorro Guam and wasfoundonlyon theirnamefromthewhiteringaroundtheireyes.TheGuamsubspecies Nossa'got by the introduced brown nowhereelsein theworld.Theywerelastseenin 1983andare nowextinct.Predation treesnakewasresponsible forthisbird'sextinction. ofthenossastilloccuron Rota,Tinian, Othersubspecies and S a ipa n . Nossa'were hardbirdsto see.Theywereveryactive,dartingquicklyfromtreelimbto treelimb.Theircolors helpedthemblendin withGuam'slushgreenforest.Oftenflyingin smallflocks,nossa'stayed highup in trees andatemainlyinsects,berriesandothersmallfruits. withspiderwebs.Theinner basketandmademostlyof grassheldtogether Thenestwasshapedlikea hanging cupwaslinedwithhairor smallroots. Young Femalenossa'laidtwoto fourblueeggs.Bothparentssaton theeggsandhelpedcarefor the babies. nossa'wereableto fly as soonas twelvedaysafterhatching.

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through TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced Program, theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration administered bytheDivision ofAqualic Resources ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam & Wildlife oftheDepartment (May Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting CoaslalManagement pursuanl 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agency to the Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 UnitedStatesEnvironmental throughthe Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning AIIinquiries Environmental Committee. 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Dlvisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, phone (671 Mangilao, Guam96913, Tocontactthemby ) 735-3955/6.

PATUIVIAN APAKN/PAIUATANFACHE' WHITE-THR.OAIED GROUNDDOVE GalIicolumba xanthonu ra

EnclangereclSpecies

Native Species Extinct on Guam T h e Wh it e -t h roa t e dG r o u n d Dovecouldoncebe recognized by its low moaningcry, which was heardearlyin the morning or late afternoon. T h e ma le d o v e , o r " p a l u m a n apfuka"', whichmeanswhitebird in Chamorro,had a chocolate brownbodyand wings.lt got its name from its white head and b re a s t . F e ma le d o v e s h a d shadesof brownwith no white. Malesand femaledoveslooked s o d if f e re n tt h a t C h a m o r r o s c a lle d t h e f e mal e " p a l u m a n fache"'.Fache'istheChamorro word for mud or muddy. The maleswereaggressiveand wo u ld f ig h t a n o t h e r m a l e b y attackingits head and neck. Sometimes theyfellthroughthe trees as they fought.Afterthey had regainedtheir dignity,the males prancedabout flapping theirwingsand puffingouttheir chests.They would fight until

onemalewona waitingfemale.Paluman apAka'andpaluman fache'atesmallberries, fruit,seedsandflowers whileperchedin the branches of trees.A maleand femalebuilttheirnesthighin a talltreeand bothhelped incubate theeggs.Youngground-doves werefed"pigeon's milk"untilthey werealmostas largeas theirparents. Oncecommonin Guam'slimestone forests,the lastdovesightingwasin 1987.Predation by browntreesnakes ground-doves wasthemaincauseof theirextinction it on Guam.Because stillremainin theNorthern Marianas, may be possibleto reintroduce them backintothe wild on Guamif browntree snakescan be controlled or eradicated.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefrrstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSportFish&WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildlifeResources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program oftheBureau of Planning. (May Thislourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquirjes may be sentto the DivlsionoJAquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913.Tocontactthemby phone(671)235-395Si6.

PHITIPPINE TURTLE-DOVE

PALU/v|ANtlNISA Introducecl Species

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inthe177Os. Originally ThePhilippine Turtle-Dove wasbrought to GuambytheSpanish fromthePhilippines, this wellto Guam'senvironment andspreadallovertheisland. birdadapted eatsseedsandsmallfruitwhich as it is calledin Chamorro, the"paluman sinisa", of thepigeonfamily, A member at a latertime. it storesin a sackin itsthroatcalleda crop,Thefoodis digested Thisbirdnestsyear-round on Guam. lt makesa weaknestof twigsin smalltreesand shrubs.Twoeggsare for17days.Oncethebabydoveshatch,theyare usually laid,whichtheadultstaketurnsittingonandincubating fed"pigeon's milk",a whiteliquidmadeintheliningof thecrop,foroneto twoweeks.At thisage,thechickshave to sticktheirbeaksintotheirparent'smouthto eatthisfood. As theygetolder,theirdietis shiftedto seedsand fruit.Theyremaininthenestforabout16to 19daysafterhatching andduringthistime,theygrowflightfeathers andlearnto fly.Afterleavingthe nest,theyoungusuallystaynearbyandcontinueto be fed by theirparents. game seasonwassetasideforthispopular on Guamanda hunting Paluman sinisawereonceverynumerous years been it has since and in recent declined have numbers island, its the stillfoundthroughout bird. Although young of and The eats the eggs is thecauseforthe bird'sdecline. snake takenoffthegamelist.Snakepredation the birdwill probablyrecoverquicklyand canonce lf the snakepopulation can be controlled, the turtle-doves. againbe hunted.

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through TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswere{irstcreatedandJirstproduced Program, ofAquatic theSportFish& WildlrleRestoration administered bytheDivision of theDepa[mentofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam & WildlileResources Programof the Bureauof Planning. Thisfourthplinting(May Coastallvlanagement Protection Agencypursuantto the 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe UnitedStatesEnvironmenlal oi theWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries Environmental Education Committee 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto lhe Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, (671 Mangilao. Guam96913. Tocontactthemby phone ) 735-3955/6.

PANG'LAO Native Species

IAND CRAB

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Cardisoma carnifex

Haveyouevertakena drivedownsouthern Guamon the eveof a fullmoononlyto havethe car in frontof you youmayhavenoticedpeoplewalkingalong suddenly slamon hisbrakesas if it hadrunoversomething? Perhaps theshoulder of the highway withflashlights in handanda gunnysackovertheirshoulders? lf youhave,chances arethedriverof thecarin frontof youstopped to eitherpickupa landcrabor to letthecrustacean crossthestreet outgathering thesecrabsfora fiesta. safely.Thegroupof peoplewithflashlights andgunnysackswereprobably A favoriteamongpartygoers, landcrabs,or "pAng'lao" areamongGuam'smost as theyare knownin Chamorro, common andheavily-harvested animals. Themostcommon species, Cardisoma carnifexis called"pAng'lao echong" or "crooked crab".lt hasextremely largeclaws,oftenwithonelargerthanthe other.Thereareat leasttwoother, lesscommonandsmaller-clawed speciesknownin Chamorro as "pAng'lao tunas",whichmeans"straight crab". Landcrabsareburrowers thatpreferto livenearriverswheretheygowhentheyarereadyto shedtheirshells.This iscalledmoulting. Likeallcrustaceans, landcrabsrequire seawatertoreproduce. Themalecanferlilize thefemale's in seawater, eggsonlyimmediately aftershemoults,whenhernewshellis stillsoft.Theeggsarethenreleased usuallyneara rivermouth. as wellas deadinsects.They seeds,fruits,andseedlings foragers, eatingprimarily Landcrabsareindiscriminate purged. Thisis donebyconfining intheshell.Forthesereasons,theyshouldbe oftenhavemuddeeplyimbedded areaandfeedingthemwithgratedcoconutandwaterfor two or threedays.After the crabsin a cleanenclosed purging, thecrabsarescrubbed thoroughly beforecooking.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFaclSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeResloration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & Wildlife Resources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program of theBureauof Planning. (May Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UritedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# l\,4009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913, Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

PULATTAT EnclangereclSpecies

COMMON MOORHEN Subspecies enclemic to the Marianas

Photo by Roberl Schollenburger

Gallinulachloropusguami

of therailfamily.Adultsareblackwitha red in Chamorro, is reallya member Thisduck-like bird,called"pulattat" wetlands in southern suchas FenaLake,AganaSwamp,andsmaller forehead andbeak.Theylivein wetlands and centralGuam,Theyspendpartof theirtimeswimmingin waterand partwalkingin reedyareasalongthe for feetare notwebbed,theirlongtoeshavelobeson themthatmakeit possible shore.Althoughthe pulattat's themto walkacrossplantsfloatingin thewater. withan escaperampto Pulattateat plants,insectsandsnails.Theymakea hiddennestin the reeds,complete Thefemalelaysfiveto sixeggs.Bothparentssit thewaterforthemoorhen chicksto usewhendangerthreatens. on the eggs.Whenthe eggshatchthe chicksare coveredwithfluffyblackdown.They havewhitefeathery from eyebrowsand a whitebeak.Likemostgroundnesters,the chicksare ableto runand protectthemselves turnbrownandtheirbeaksturna dirtyorange-brown. predators As they grow,theirfeathers soonafterhatching. turnred. Finally,as adults,theirfeathersareblackandtheirbeakandforehead Sincelargeareasof our wetlandshave birdswereoncefairlycommonin Guam'swetlands. Theseinteresting and lesstaroand riceis grownthanin the past,thereis lesshabitatfor the pulattat. beenfilledfor development specieslists. is on thefederalandlocalendangered thepulattat Alsofoundon SaipanandTinian, through TheoriginalFish& WildlileFactSheetswere{irstcreatedandfirstproduced Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration withtheGuam o{theDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration & Wildlife Resources (May Thisfoufthprinting Program ottheBureauof Planning. Coastal Management Protection Agencypursuantto the 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe UnitedSlatesEnvironmental Allinquiries oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Environmental Education Committee 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, Mangilao, Guam96913, Tocontactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

TAIWAN

BLACKDRONGO

'AIEN

Introducecl Species

DAWRphoio by Anne Moben

Dicrurus macrocerus

Thisglossyblackbirdwitha forkedtailwasbroughtfromTaiwanto Rotain the 1930sto eat insects.They flew to Guamin thelate1950sandarenowfoundthroughoutthe island. theirnestingterritories. birdswhenit comesto defending theyareaggressive in Chamorro, Called"salenTaiwan" nativebirdsby people. remaining may harm Guam's They and even birds, fruit bats, dogs, Theywillchaseother themawayfromtheirnesting areas. driving SalenTaiwan Theyusetheirlongforkedtailtohelpthemtwistandturnquickly. SalenTaiwanaregoodacrobats. wiresor theouterbranches of a treeso theycaneasily huntfor foodfroma perch.Theyliketo sit on telephone they perchon the backsof cattleor carabao,feedingon the Sometimes spotinsectsand lookfor predators. to catchitsfood,thesalenTaiwanreturnsto its insectsthatarestirredupwhentheanimalmoves.Afterswooping by its billhelpthe perch,holdsits preydownwithonefootandtearsit to pieceswithits beak. Stiff"whiskers" well. as lizards even but bugs only eats salenTaiwanto trapsmallinsects.lt not Thesebirdsbuildtheirnestsoutof grass,leavesandspiderwebs.Thenestsaremadeonflimsyouterbranches eggs,In severalweeks,the cannotreachthem.Theylaythreeto fourcream-colored of treeswherepredators nakedbabieshavegrownfeathersandare readyto begincatchinginsectson theirown.

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MICRONESIANSTARTING

EnclangeredSpecies

Subspecies endemlc to the Marianas ,*'rs *ff'i

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Thesenoisy,blackbirds,knownlocallyas "sAli",livein groupsand nestin cavities.This meanstheynestin palmsor othertrees.Sometimes hollowed outareasincoconut starlings willbuildtheirnestsinholesinlimestone poles, cliffsor in woodentelephone Theseblackbirdseatfruits,seedsandinsects.Females layupto fourgreenish eggsandbothparents sitonthe eggs.Babystarlings arenaked,blindandhelpless whenborn.Oneparentstayswiththebabieswhiletheother parentbringsfoodto the nest. Youngsalihavebrowneyesandgraystreakson theirbreasts. As theybecome older,theireyesturngoldenandbeauti{ulshinyblackfeathersstartto grow. Saliusedto be foundthroughout Guambutpredation (browntreesnake)hasrestricted by the kulepbla them primarily to Cocoslsland,Andersen Air ForceBase,partsof Aganaandcertaincoastalareasin the south. Our sali is different fromthe European starlings foundin the mainland UnitedStates.Unliketheirstateside counterparts, whichoftenmakepestsof themselves, Guam'ssali is foundonlyin Micronesia and doesnot damagecropsor buildings.

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Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirslcreated andfirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquaiic & WldlifeResources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture incollaboration withtheGuam Coastall\,4anagement Programof the Bureauof Planning. Thisfourthprinting(May 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuantto the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe planning Environmental Education Committee oftheWater Committee. AIIinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192DairyRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontact themby phone(671) 735,3955/6.

PAYU'AK

SPIDERS

'ANYE'YE'OR

pholo O Robert F.Mvers

(T E N T S P ID E R ) ho' ra moIIucensis ' A NCy Y Ertop ' YE

PAYU'AK (CRABSPIDER) Thomsoniasp.

Manypeoplethinkspidersare insects,buttheyarearachnids. Insteadof an insect'sthreemainbodypartsand threepairsof legs,spidershavetwomainbodyparts,thehead-thorax andthe abdomen,andeightlegs. Arachnids havelargehollowfangs juicesis withvenomglands. Thevenommixedwith digestive injected intothebodiesof theirprey.Thiskillsthepreyandturns theirinsidesintoa liquidthatcanbe suckedout. Although none of Guam'sspidershasa dangerous bite,the biteof somecan causea painful,itchy welt that takes severaldays to heal. Femalespidershavesilkglandsat the end of theirabdomen. Thesilkis usedto buildwebs,wrapprey,andmakeeggcases. Phoio O Robert F.Mye6

(GARDENSPIDER) Argiope sp. 'ANYE'YE'

Photo O Robeif F.lvlyers

PAYU'AK (HUNT'MAN'PI DER) Heteropodavenatoria

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Thereare aboutthirty kinds of spiderson Guam.Many are believed to havebeenintroduced to ourislandbypeople.Spiders thatbuildwebsarecalled"sanye'ye"' in Chamorro, whilethose thatdo notarecalled"payu'ak." Webbuilders liveon theirwebs andwaitforinsects andothersmallanimalsto be trapped. The gar denspideris a welcomedr esidentof gar dens beautiful becauseit trapscrop-damaging insects in itsweb.Females of someweb-builders tryto eat the male afterthey have mated. The huntsman spider,whichdoesnot builda web,hasa hairy bodyandis commonin ranchhouseslt huntsinsectsat night. Femalescarrythe eggsin a silkcasebeneaththe abdomen. Crabspidersare anothergroupthat resembleflowersin order to ambushtheirprey.All spiderson Guamare beneficial to humansbecause oftheirabilitytotrapinsects thatmaybeharmful to cropsor people.

Theoriginal Fish& Wildlife FactSheets werefirstcreated andfirstproduced through theSponFish& WildlifeRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildljfeResources o{theDepartment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program oftheBureauof Planning. Thisfoufthprinting (May 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionot Aquatlc& WildlifeResources, 192 DairvRoad, Mangilao, Guam96913,Tocontactthemby phone(671)735-3955/6.

MICRONESIANKINGFISHER

' I H EK

EnclangeredSpecies

Subspecies enclemic to Guam Extinct in the wiltl

Halcyoncinnamomina cinnamomina Kingfisher, or "sihek"as it is calledin Chamorro,is a colorfulbirdthatwas oncevery common The Micronesian in of the sihekpopulation on Guam.Predationby kulepbla(browntree snakes)has broughtaboutthe extinction program to savethe sihekfrom the wild,The lastsightingof a wildsihekwas reportedin 1989.A captivebreeding the United beganin 1983.As of 1993,therewereabout50 sihekin captivityat variouszoosthroughout extinction States. They buildtheirnestsby usingtheirbillsto hammera hole in a tree Kingfishers are oftencalled"woodpeckers." trunk.Both parentsraisetwo babiesin their nest hole. The babiesare fed juicy prey like lizards,crabsand do nothunt insects,The parentskilltheirpreyby bangingit againsta branch. Unlikeits name,thesekingfishers get Female have too close to their nest. sihek a white fish. Sihekare braveand will attacklargeranimalsthat breastwhile maleshave a tan breast. Chamorrostoriestell of a villagewomanwho was alwaystalkingloudlyand makingtrouble.She wore an orange (spiritof Chamorroancestors)then turned kerchiefand a blue dresswith a whiteapron.An angry"taotaomo'na" female sihek. Now,the unhappybirdcalls the of the womanintothe firstsihek.Her clothingbecamethe colors loudlywhen peopleare near. Our subspeciesof sihekis foundonlyon Guamand nowhereelse.Othersubspeciesstillremainin Palauand Pohnpei. Marianalslands. Anotherspecies,the CollaredKingtisher(Halcyonchloris),occurson manyof the neighboring

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through TheoriginalFish& Wildli{eFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirslproduced Program, administered bytheDivisjon ofAquatic theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration in collaboration withtheGuam ofAgnculture & WildlifeResources oftheDepartmenl (May Thisfourthprinting Management Program oftheBureauof Planning. Coastal Protection Agencypursuant to the 2002)waslundedby theGuamEnvironmental throughthe Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 UnitedStatesEnvironmental Allinquiries oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Environmental Education Committee 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, themby phone(671) 735-3955/6. Guam96913. Tocontact Mangilao,

TERRE'TRIALHABITATS

ATUTONG( I.IME'TON E FOREST)

DAWRphoto by Gory J Wiles

(WETLAND') 'ESONYAN

DAWR phoio by Gory.l. W es

LimestoneForest:This kindof nativeforest,called alutong in Chamorro,grows only wherelimestonerock is present. Most of northernGuamwas oncecoveredby limestoneforest, buttheonlylargetractsnow remaining in thispartof the island occuralong ruggedcoastalclifflines and militarylands" Other standsoccur in partsof southernGuam.The tallesttrees in this forestoften reachheightsof 30-50 feet tall, but are kept from growingeven largerby the island'sfrequenttyphoons. Manyfamiliartreescommonlygrow in limestoneforest,such as wild breadfruit(dokdok),paipai,fAgot,cycads (fadang), pengua,chopak,ifil,banyans (nunu),pandanus,yogga,and Ahgao.Avarietyof fernsand orchidsis alsopresent.Thisforest is the most importanthabitatfor coconutcrabs and many of lntroduced our endangerednativebirdsandfanihi(fruitbats). pigs feed on understoryvegetationand are deer and wild h a rmf u lt o ma n y p la n t s p e c ie s .A n o t h e rs e r i o u st h r e a t i s to makeroomfor development. bulldozing Wetlands:Rivers,streams,swamps,and pondsare examples of wetlands,called sesonyan in Chamorro.Wetlands hold waterfor extendedperiods of the year,are highly fertile and supporta varietyof animaland plant life able to exist in a lto' (catfish),uhang sAddok(shrimp) saturatedenvironment. a n d a s u li (f re s h wa t e re e l) a n d t h e e n d a n g e r e dP u l a t t a t (Co mmo nMo o rh e n )liv e o n ly in we t la n d s .K a r i s u( g r a s s ) , (sedge)andchA'guan uchaga-lane saddok(pondweed) as well as woodyvegetationsuchas pAgu(hibiscus)and langasatare examplesof wetlandplantsthat may be found growingin or adjacentto wetlands.Wetlandsare also importantto public safetyand health.Wetlandsreducethe likelihoodof flooding by holdingrainwaterrunoffand by trappingeroded soils and retainingpollutants, they improvewaterquality. Savanna:Grasslands, calledsabAnain Chamorn, occupylarge areas of red clay soil in southernGuam. Nette(swordErass) and foxtailare the most commontypes of grass.Nettegrows in dense inpenetrablestands that reach 8 feet tall. Other commonsavannaplantsarevariousshrubs,clubmosses,and groundorchids.Firesburn off largeareasof grasslandevery year,whichresultsin heavysoil erosion.Fires,plusthe poor nutrientlevelsof volcanicsoils,preventforestsfromexpanding intothe savanna.

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TOADSAND TROGS

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MARINE TOAD (Bufomarinus,); INSET: DWARF TREE FROG (Littoriafattax) Frogsand toadsare amphibians, whichmeansthat they livepartof theirlivesin waterand parton land.Toadsusuallyhave dry bumpyskinwhilefrogshavesmooth,moistskin.Toadsand frogslaytheireggsin freshwater.Any puddleor pondwilldo. An amazingthinghappenswith theirjelly-likeeggs.They hatchintoanimalsknownas tadpolesor polliwogsthat look more likefishthantoadsor frogs. The littletadpolesquicklygrow legs,losetheirtails,and startbreathingair. Guam has one kind of toad,the marinetoad,and one kind of frog,the easterndwarftree frog. was broughtto Guamin 1937by peoplewho hopedit wouldeat up insectsand the black The tot as it is calledin Chamorro, gardenslug.lt cleanedup mostof the slugssinceso few are seentoday.Feedingmostlyat night,the toadscatchinsectsby zappingthem with their long stickytongues.Toadsare commonthroughoutGuam and can be seen on streetsand lawns duringthe rainyseason.They reacha size of aboutfive inches(13 cm) in body length. Toadsproducea thick white milkysubstanceon their skin which is poisonousand keepsanimalslike dogs and cats from eatingthem.They are otherwiseharmlessand will not give peoplewarts. But childrenshouldbe taughtto wash theirhands afterhandlingthem and shouldnot put them in theirmouths,sincethe toad'sprotectivejuice couldmakethem sick. The easterndwarftree frog is much smallerthan the toad, reachingonly aboutan inch (2.5 cm) in length.lt gets its name becauseit livesin trees and bushes,and rarelycomesto the ground.lts greencolorationhelpsit hide amongthe leaves. Thesefrogs are more likelyto be heardthan seen.They give a call that soundslike "reek,reek, reek",which is repeated manytimes.Callingis heardmost often near areasof freshwaterwherethey gatherto breed.Tree frogs are not nativeto broughtto our islandin the 1960sand are now commonin areasof southernand Guam. They were probablyaccidentally ponds and wetlands.They are nativeto easternAustralia. centralGuam,especiallynear

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through Program, administered theSportFish& WildlifeRestoration bytheDivisron ofAquatic & WildliteResources oftheDepartmentof Agriculture in collaboration withtheGuam printing l!'lanagement Program (May Coastal of theBureauof Planning. ThisJourth 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmenlal Protection AgencyAward# M009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Commrttee oftheWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries 192 DairyRoad, may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, themby phone(671) 735-3955/6. Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontact

TOTTOT

MARIANA TRUIT-DOVE

EnclangereclSpecies

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PtiIinopus roseicapiIIa The MarianaFruit-Doveor "tottot"as it is calledin Chamorro,once gracedGuam'sforestswith its smoothcooing call and beautifulbrightcolors. Browntree snake (kulepbla)predation,however,has causedits extinctionon Guam,althoughan occasionalsightingis still reported,especiallyaftera storm hits Rota.The tottotis stillfound on otherMarianalslandsfrom Rotato Saipan. The tottothas a purplecap, yellowand orangebreastand brightyellowtail band. Its feathersare mostlygreen whichallowsthemto blendintothe leavesof treesas theymakeshortflightsto lookfor food.Theyeatfruitssuch as figs,inkberryand papdya. The tottotlaysonlyone egg in a flimsynestbuiltin the forkof a branch.Likeall doves,the youngare fed a milky substanceproducedin the liningof the parent'sthroatsac or "crop".The youngare laterfed fruitthat has been partiallydigested. Bird,the symbolof our Thisshy,easilydisturbedbirdholdsspecialmeaningfor Guambecauseit is ourTerritorial island. is controlled or hopesthatone day,whenthe kulepblapopulation The Divisionof Aquaticand WildlifeResources eradicated,we will be ableto reintroducethe tottotback into Guam'sforests. TheoriginaiFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandtirstproduced through theSportFish& WildlifeResloration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquatic & WildlifeResources oftheDepartment ofAgriculture in collaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program of theBureauof Planning. (May Thisfourthprinting 2002)wasfundedby theGuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuant to the UnitedStatesEnvironmental Protection AgencyAward# l\4009063-02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee oJtheWaterPlanning CommitteeAllinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildlifeResources, 192 DairyRoad, phone (671 Mangilao, Guam96913. Tocontactthemby ) 735'3955/6.

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BTINDSNAKE

Introduced Species

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Ramphotyph lops braminus as it is ManyGuamresidents haveprobably neverseenGuam'ssmallest snake,theblindsnake,or ulo'Attelong (browntreesnake), wasprobably accidentally introduced the ulo'Attelong Likethekulepbla calledin Chamorro. to Guamby people. Measuring upto sixinches(15cm)long,the ulo'Attelong is shyandsecretive. lt livesunderground andis often foundin rottinglogsor pilesof leaves.At firstglanceit maybe mistaken fora worm.ln fact,it is oftencalledthe "snakeworm".lts localname,"ulo'Attelong" (ulo'meanswormandAttelong meansblack),evensuggests thatit is a worm.However, you'll takea closerlookand seetinyscalescoveringthe blindsnake. lt alsohasa forked tongue.Likeothersnakes, the ulo'Attelong usesitstongueforsmelling. Theulo'Attelong is ableto movequicklyabovegroundandseemsto almostswimthroughloosesoil.lt feedson is not butthe ulo'Attelong is notveryusefulunderground, worms, and insectlarvae.Eyesight ants,termites, reallyblind.lt hassmall,weakeyesthatcantelldarkfromlight,butthat'saboutall. thatit layseggsin the soil. No one knowsmuchaboutthe lifeand habitsof thissnake.We do know,however, Theeggslooklikegrainsof riceandare leftto hatchon theirown.

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UTAK / FAKPE

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The White-tailed Tropicbird, knownlocallyas "utak"or "fAkpe",is one of the mostbeautifulEeabirdsin the world. Thesewhitebirdswith blackmarkingshavesharplypointedwingsand two longstreamingfeathersin theirtails. Thesefeathersare longerthanthe birds'bodies. Tropicbirds hoveroverthe waterto catchflyingfish.Theydivewiththeirwingshalfclosedto catchothersmallfish andsquid.Theyhavebillswithnotchesin them,almostliketeeth,thathelpthemholdtheirslipperyprey. Fishermen followtheseseabirdsto help locateschoolsof mAhimAhi and tuna.Thesebirdsmay fly for hundredsof miles searchingfor food.Sometimesthey'llcirclea ship at sea, screamingnoisily,then fly away.When they are not nesting,they sometimesspendmonthsat sea. Althoughgracefulwhileflying,thesebirdswiththeirshortlegscan hardlywalkon landand haveto crawlon their belliesto move around.Theirwebbedfeet not only help them paddleon the water,but are also used to dig shallownestsin cliffsidecracks. Duringcourtship,boththe maleand femaleglideand circleeach otherhigh in the air.One birdwill sometimes hoverover its mate,gentlytouchingthe lowerbird'sbackwith its longtail feathers.Femaleslay one egg. Both parentscatchfish and regurgitate the food for the babyto eat. Untilabout1985,a smallcolonyof thesebirds for nestedat Two Lovers'Pointon Guam.Biologistsbelievethat predationby the browntree snakeis responsible aroundthe island. eliminating this colonyand greatlyreducingthe numberof tropicbirds

YAYAGUAK EnclangeredSeabird

ISLANDSWIFTTET Subspecies endemic to the Marianas

DAwRphotobvAnneMoben

Aerodramus van Aerodramus vanikorensis ikorensis baftsch bartschi i

Locallyknownas "yAyaguak", lslandSwiftlets nestin limestone cavesandwereoncecommonly foundthroughout population theisland.In 1993,theyAyaguak yAyaguak stoodat onlyabout500birds.Mostof theremaining live in a singlecaveon NavalMagazine in southernGuamandfeedin theTalofofo RiverValley. Theexactcauseof the declineof this speciesis not known,however,predationby browntree snakesor pesticides are possible reasons. YAyaguak spendlongperiodsof eachdayflyingwhilesearching fortinyaerialinsectsto feedon.Thebirdsswoop anddartthroughthe skyas theychasetheirfood.Thewingsof yAyaguak are long,narrowand pointed,which allowsthe birdsto be fastfliers. Femaleslayoneeggseveraltimesperyearin shallownestsmadeof moss,whicharefastenedto cavewallsby hooktheirtinytoes in the nestmoss,whichkeeps the bird'ssaliva.Whenthe babieshatch,theyimmediately Thismeansthatthe themfromfallingout.Adultbirdsfindtheirwayin andoutof darkcavesusingecholocation. in the telling them howfar awayihe cave, birdsmakeclickingsoundsthatbounceoffthewallsandotherobjects objectsare.TheyAyaguak is listedon boththeGuamand U,S.endangered specieslists,whichmeansthatit is againstlocalandfederallawto kill,harm,capture,or harassthe birdsin anyway.

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TheoriginalFish& WildlifeFactSheetswerefirstcreatedandfirstproduced through theSportFish& Wildli{eRestoration Program, administered bytheDivision ofAquaiic & WildlifeResourcâ&#x201A;Źs ofthe Department ofAgricullure in collaboration withtheGuam Coastal Management Program oftheBureauof Planning. (May Thisfoufthprinting 2002)wasfundedby the GuamEnvironmental Protection Agencypursuantto the UnitedStatesEnvrronmental Protection AgencyAward# M009063.02 throughthe Environmental Education Committee ol theWaterPlanning Committee. Allinquiries may be sentto the Divisionof Aquatic& WildliJe Resources, 192 DairyRoad, Mangilao,Guam96913. To contactthemby phone(671) 735-3955/6.

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