Nananana Makakiʻi: Hawaiʻi’s Rare and Remarkable Happy-Face Spider

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Deep within Hawaiʻi’s wet rainforests lives a small but fascinating creature known as nananana makakiʻi, or the Hawaiian happy-face spider. Recognized for the markings on its abdomen that can resemble a smiling face, this rare spider represents the extraordinary biodiversity found throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

The presentation identifies the spider with the genus Exalbidion and explains that its evolutionary line diverged from its ancestor approximately 4.22 million years ago. It was formally discovered by Eugène Simon in 1900.

Found Only in Hawaiʻi

Nananana makakiʻi is found only on the islands of Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi. The presentation notes that only nine species exist, making these spiders especially rare. They generally live beneath leaves in wet rainforest environments, where moisture and native vegetation provide the habitat they need to survive.

Unlike many other spiders, nananana makakiʻi does not create a traditional web to catch prey. Instead, it uses silk primarily as a means of transportation.

A Small Spider with an Important Role

Although tiny, nananana makakiʻi contributes to the health of Hawaiʻi’s native ecosystems. By feeding on insects and other small pests, it helps protect native plants.

The spider is not considered dangerous to people. According to the presentation, its venom affects insects rather than humans. It is also part of the small percentage of spiders that care for their young. Some may even adopt young spiders that are not their own, with this caregiving behavior primarily associated with mother spiders.

These qualities make nananana makakiʻi more than an interesting-looking spider. It is a native predator, caregiver, and participant in the delicate relationships that sustain Hawaiʻi’s forests.

Threats to Its Survival

Like many native Hawaiian species, nananana makakiʻi faces serious environmental threats.

Coqui frogs, which have become established in parts of Hawaiʻi and are now present in areas of Oʻahu, may disrupt native ecosystems and prey upon small invertebrates. Wildfires also threaten the wet forest habitats where these spiders live.

The presentation describes nananana makakiʻi as endangered and notes that it is not currently protected through a widespread conservation program. Support has instead come from organizations such as the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association.

Protecting this species therefore requires more than focusing on the spider alone. It also requires protecting native forests, controlling invasive species, reducing wildfire risk, and supporting organizations engaged in conservation.

Its Pilina to Waiʻanae

Nananana makakiʻi also holds an important connection to Waiʻanae. The presentation highlights its relationship to Kaʻala, its presence within mele, and its ability to capture the interest of younger generations.

This pilina, or relationship, helps connect ecological learning with culture and place. For young people in Waiʻanae, learning about a rare native spider can become an entry point into broader conversations about ʻike Hawaiʻi, native ecosystems, environmental responsibility, and the significance of caring for ʻāina.

The map shown on page five of the presentation also illustrates the spider’s relationship to different Hawaiian Islands and highlights several places associated with its distribution, including Waiʻanae, Kamakou, Haleakalā, Puʻu Kukui, Kohala, Mauna Kea, and Kīlauea.

Bringing the Moʻolelo to Keiki

Stories and hands-on activities can make conservation more meaningful for children. The presentation recommends resources such as Nana the Happy Face Spider’s Happy, Sad, Hungry Day and Beyond ʻŌhiʻa Valley: Adventures in a Hawaiian Rainforest. These educational materials can help keiki encounter native species through storytelling, art, reading, and exploration.

By combining moʻolelo with science, educators and families can make learning about nananana makakiʻi engaging and memorable. Children are not only introduced to an unusual spider; they also begin to understand that even the smallest native species has a place, a purpose, and a relationship to the larger environment.

Protecting Hawaiʻi’s Smallest Treasures

Nananana makakiʻi reminds us that some of Hawaiʻi’s most remarkable treasures can be found beneath a single rainforest leaf.

Its rarity, unusual appearance, caregiving behavior, ecological contributions, and connection to place make it a species worth learning about and protecting. By caring for native forests and helping younger generations develop relationships with native species, Hawaiʻi’s communities can support the continued survival of nananana makakiʻi.

Protecting this tiny spider is ultimately part of a much larger kuleana: preserving Hawaiʻi’s unique ecosystems, stories, and natural heritage for future generations.