Imagine a shark so elusive, it’s almost never seen, yet its calling card—neat, circular bites—is found on some of the ocean’s most prized fish. This is the cookiecutter shark, a creature that has baffled scientists for decades. But a groundbreaking study from the University of Hawaiʻi is changing the game by blending traditional Hawaiian wisdom with cutting-edge marine science. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not just about the shark; it’s about how Indigenous knowledge and modern research can unlock secrets of the deep in ways neither could alone.
The cookiecutter shark, named for its distinctive bite marks resembling a cookie cutter, is a master of stealth. Rarely spotted but often noticed, this small predator leaves behind circular wounds on fish like ʻahi (bigeye tuna) and aʻu kū (swordfish). These bite marks are more than just injuries—they’re clues. Scientists, like Justin Suca, an assistant professor of oceanography at UH Mānoa, have been piecing together the shark’s behavior by studying these patterns. But here’s where it gets controversial: Could ancient Hawaiian knowledge hold the key to understanding this modern mystery?
Led by Suca, J. Hauʻoli Lorenzo-Elarco (an assistant professor of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at Honolulu Community College), and collaborators from UH Hilo and NOAA’s Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), the study takes an interdisciplinary approach. By analyzing bite patterns from Hawaiʻi’s longline fisheries over many years, the team discovered something striking: cookiecutter sharks are most active at night, with their behavior closely tied to lunar cycles. Darker nights mean more bites—a trend that aligns with earlier research linking moonless nights to rare human encounters with these sharks.
But here’s where it gets even more fascinating: The researchers dove into historic Hawaiian-language newspapers (nūpepa) and Polynesian cultural knowledge to explore how the shark might have been understood in ancient Hawaiʻi. While no direct references were found, the team believes Hawaiian ancestors likely recognized the shark’s bite marks, even if they never saw the creature itself. This led to the creation of a new Hawaiian name for the shark, nahunaiki (meaning “little bites”), and an ʻōlelo noʻeau (proverb) that ties its behavior to nighttime conditions.
This blend of Indigenous knowledge and science isn’t just innovative—it’s transformative. The study’s abstract, written entirely in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, highlights how these two worlds can collaborate to reveal patterns that might otherwise remain hidden. Donald R. Kobayashi, a biologist at PIFSC and UH Mānoa alumnus, has been fascinated by these sharks for over 40 years. “It’s gratifying to contribute solid scientific knowledge to understanding these enigmatic creatures,” he said. But the real question is: How much more can we learn when we bridge the gap between traditional wisdom and modern research?
As we marvel at the cookiecutter shark’s nocturnal habits and lunar-driven behavior, it’s clear that this study is just the beginning. What other ocean mysteries could be unlocked by combining Indigenous knowledge with science? And how might this approach reshape our understanding of marine life? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a conversation that’s as deep as the ocean itself.
