humuhumunukunukuapua'a ~~~ reef triggerfish~~~ (Rhinecanthus rectangulu)
one of the longest fish names in the hawaiian language, when translated it means "triggerfish with a pig-like short nose"... the triggerfish has a unique defense mechanism that allows it to lock its dorsal fin in an upright position when threatened... predators are unable to dislodge it after retreating into a reef hole... the humuhumu is endemic to Hawaii a few other central and south pacific islands... originally adopted for 5 years as the state fish in 1984 after the University of Hawaii and the Waikiki Aquarium surveyed the public's opinion... it wasn't until 2005 that Governor Linda Lingle signed a bill to permanently install the humuhumu as the state fish of Hawaii...

the story... according to Hawaiian legend, the powerful pig god Kamapua'a and fire goddess Pele fell in love and married... however, they did not suit each other for long... Kamapua'a and his hog-like habits mixed with Pele and her fiery temper soon led to a bitter breakup... love turned to hatred... Pele sought to destroy Kamapua'a with fire and lava... Kamapua'a countered Pele's attacks by dousing her fire with water... as Pele rushed to surround him, he fled to the ocean, diving into the churning waves as the hot lava caused the water to boil around him... in defeat, he transformed his body into a fish called Humuhumunukunukuapua'a and retreated into the depths... today, when snorkeling and fishing, Humuhumunukunukuapua'a can still be found in the waters of Hawaii, and if you catch one and listen closely you can still hear the grunts of the pig god Kamapua'a...