Nu’utele Island is an uninhabited island located off the western shore of Ofu Island, in

Ofu County Ofu County is a county in the Manu'a District in American Samoa. It was the result of the subdivision of the prior Luanuu County in two, with the other newly created county being Olosega, first reported on the 1930 U.S. Census. It is now contig ...

, District of Manu’a, in

American Sāmoa American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island country of Samoa, east of the International Date Line ...

. The island is also known as Nu’utele Islet. It was formerly known as Lenu’u or “the village or place persons belong to” in 19th century accounts. It is an eroded

tuff cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

of the

Ofu-Olosega Ofu and Olosega are parts of a volcanic doublet in the Manuʻa Islands, which is a part of American Samoa in the Samoan Islands. These twin islands, formed from shield volcanoes, have a combined length of 6 km and a combined area of . Together, ...

volcano. The island is owned by the Sia family in the village of Ofu. The island is sporadically visited by the family to fish near the shore and gather coconuts. It is occasionally visited by communal elders. Nu’utele Island serves as a tourist destination accessible by boat or by swimming. However, there is a strong current between Nu’utele and Ofu islands, which makes snorkeling and swimming off Alafau or Ofu villages risky.

Geography

Nu’utele Island features steep cliffs rising approximately 250 feet from the ridgeline to the shoreline. The ridgeline spans the entire length of the island, with the most treacherous cliffs located on the western side, while the eastern side exhibits more gradual slopes. The island experiences mean annual rainfall ranging from 381 to 635 centimeters and average temperatures between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Nu’utele Island is located 189 meters off the coast of Ofu Island.

Geology

The geological composition of Nu’utele Island is primarily defined by the Nu’u Formation, which originated during the

Pleistocene Epoch The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

, spanning from approximately 2.58 million years ago to 11,700 years before present. The island's geology predominantly consists of palagonitized

lapilli tuff Lapilli (: lapillus) is a size classification of tephra, which is material that falls out of the air during a volcanic eruption or during some meteorite impacts. ''Lapilli'' is Latin for "little stones". By definition lapilli range from in diam ...

. A series of normal faults is present in the southern region of the island, while near its center, the geological strata exhibit a dip and strike of 28 degrees.

Fauna

The fauna of Nu’utele Island includes a variety of reptiles, birds, and mammals. Among reptiles, the azure-tailed skink is present. Avian species commonly found on the island include the blue-crowned lory, wattled honeyeater,

Samoan starling The Samoan starling (''Aplonis atrifusca'') is a large starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands. The species has a dark brown, glossy appearance, with a long bill. Its natural habitat is tropical moist forest on volcan ...

, and white-rumped swiftlet. Additional bird species recorded on the island include the

crimson-crowned fruit dove The crimson-crowned fruit dove, also the Tongan fruit dove or purple-capped fruit dove (''Ptilinopus porphyraceus''), is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and W ...

and white-collared kingfisher. Migratory and invasive birds observed on Nu’utele include the

brown booby The brown booby (''Sula leucogaster'') is a large seabird of the booby family Sulidae, of which it is perhaps the most common and widespread species. It has a pantropical range, which overlaps with that of other booby species. The gregarious bro ...

red-footed booby The red-footed booby (''Sula sula'') is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. Adults always have red feet, but the colour of the plumage varies. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings. They are ...

great frigatebird The great frigatebird (''Fregata minor'') is a large seabird in the frigatebird family (biology), family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific Ocean, such as Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands; in the Indian Ocean, colonies ...

lesser frigatebird The lesser frigatebird (''Fregata ariel'') is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. At around 75 cm (30 in) in length, it is the smallest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters across the Indian ...

, blue-gray noddy,

brown noddy The brown noddy or common noddy (''Anous stolidus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The ...

, and

white tern The white tern or common white tern (''Gygis alba'') is a small seabird found across the tropical oceans of the world. It is sometimes known as the fairy tern, although this name is potentially confusing as it is also the common name of ''Sternul ...

. Mammals on the island consist of a species of

flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

, which roosts on the island, the

sheath-tailed bat Emballonuridae is a family of microbats, many of which are referred to as sac-winged or sheath-tailed bats. They are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The earliest fossil records are from the Eocene. Descr ...

, which inhabits the island's caves, the

Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), or , is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. Contrary to its vernacular name, the Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asi ...

, and

feral pigs A feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback a ...

Flora

The vegetation of Nu’utele Island is characterized by a coastal forest ecosystem. The ridgeline features flat terrain, while the western side is marked by steep slopes ranging from 30 to 40 degrees, and the eastern side consists of vertical cliffs. Dominant plant species on the island include '' Diospyros elliptica'' (30%), '' Syzygium clusiifolium'' (21%), '' Syzygium dealbatum'' (11%), and ''

Terminalia catappa ''Terminalia catappa'' is a large Tropics, tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, ...

'' (11%). Other notable species include ''

Diospyros samoensis ''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark timb ...

'' (9%), '' Planchonella linggenensis'' (8%), and '' Arytera samoensis'' (5%). Minority species, each contributing less than 5%, include ''

Hibiscus tiliaceus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zeal ...

'', ''

Morinda citrifolia ''Morinda citrifolia'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, which was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout the tropics and widel ...

'', ''

Sterculia fanaiho ''Sterculia'' is a genus of 182 flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae: subfamily Sterculioideae (previously placed in the now obsolete Sterculiaceae). Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts. ''Sterculia'' ...

'', '' Hernandia sonora'', ''

Allophylus cobbe ''Allophylus cobbe'', commonly known as titberry or Indian allophylus, is a pantropical, shrub in the family Sapindaceae with many uses in traditional medicine. It has a highly variable morphology throughout its range and may prove to be more tha ...

'', and ''

Psychotria insularum ''Psychotria insularum'' is a rainforest understory shrub from the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range is the South Pacific. It has traditional uses in herbal medicine. In 2021, the potent anti-inflammatory rutin was isolated from ''P. i ...

''. Near the western shoreline and on the ridgeline, the only extant fruit-bearing trees are coconuts (''

Cocos nucifera The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

'').Klenck, Joel. “Joel Klenck, Report for the Fo’Isia Legendary Site and Nu’Utele Archaeological Survey, Island of Ofu, American Samoa.” American Samoa Historic Preservation Office (2017): 212. Pages 10 and 13.

References

{{Coord, 14, 10, 01, S, 169, 41, 05, W, type:isle, display=title Uninhabited islands of American Samoa Tutuila