Wildlife Windows

Herps

David Sanderson reports spotting a Hong Kong Newt Paramesotriton hongkongensis in a shallow, sandy-bottomed stream pool at Tai Mong Che off Tai Po Road during the daytime on 27 August 1999.

Beached turtle
Jenny Walker of the Hong Kong Natural History Society has sent in a photograph of a dead soft-shelled turtle, discovered on a beach at Starling Inlet by HKNHS members on 3 March 1999. The animal in the photograph appears to be a specimen of Amyda cartilaginea, an exotic species native to SE Asia. These are freshwater animals and it seems probable that the individual was purchased in a market and then ill-advisedly released into the sea.

In August 1999, a Common Wolf Snake Lycodon aulicus was seen at Yung Shue Wan.

Andy Cornish

KING COBRA VS COPPERHEAD RACER, PT 1
A King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah was seen at the lower section of Ho Chung Stream at around 2.00 pm on 27 April 1999. The snake was at least 4m long and basking along a pipeline opposite a group of mahjong-playing village elders. An extremely brave 1.2m Copperhead Racer Elaphe radiata crossed the road amongst moving traffic and headed towards the snake-eating King Cobra while I was observing this unreal scenario.

Bosco Chan

KING COBRA VS COPPERHEAD RACER, PT 2

9 February 1999: at around 2pm, Joyce Ng, James Mubiru and Roger Kendrick observed a King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah attempting to quell a Copperhead Racer Elaphe radiata near one of the accommodation buildings at KARC. The Cobra held the Racer for some 25 minutes before letting go, when both snakes slid away along a water catchment. It was assumed that the Cobra must have bitten the Racer for a sufficient length of time to inject a fatal dose of venom and would wait for its victim to die before consuming it. No further trace of either snake was found in the following 24 hours. This observation was photographed by RCK and copies of the photos passed to Michael Lau for the records.

Roger Kendrick

12 May 1999 and 17 July 1999: Roger Kendrick observed a Banded Krait Bungarus fasciatus crossing the road in KFBG, near the Butterfly Garden, whilst en route to inspect moth traps around midnight.

On 13 June 1999, at around 2 am, Roger Kendrick observed a bright green snake in a bush near to a moth trap set up on Kat O Chau. The snake did not have a triangular (viper style) head, and so was assumed to be a Greater Green Snake Cyclophiops major.

9 July 1999: at about 10pm. a Spotted Cat Snake Boiga multomaculata was seen hunting frogs on the road above the administration building at KARC by Roger Kendrick.

On 24 June 1999, Ben Ridley saw a large Mangrove Water Snake Enhydris bennetti on the open mudflat at Mai Po, 150m from the mangrove fringe. The snake was observed for several minutes with binoculars, and its length was estimated at 1.1-l.2m.

Dead stuff

A dead Mock Viper Psammodynastes pulverulentus was found on Tai Ping Hill, Yung Shue Wan, Lamma on 25 July 1999 by Andy Cornish. Also found dead by Andy at Yung Shue Wan was a Copperhead Racer Elaphe radiata in August 1999. Another stiffy of this species, freshly roadkilled, was found by Robert Davison on 2 October 1999 on the Mui Tsz Lam access road.

Jenny Walker and companions encountered a Chinese Mountain Snake Sibynophis chinensis at Tai Po Kau on 26 May 1999.

Mammals

The following records of Dog-faced Fruit Bats Cynopterus sphinx were made in May 1999 by Gary Grant: 1. Shenzhen. Lowu, ca. 200m west of railway station. About 10 individuals in fan palms in front of "Barber" shops. 2. Four roosting individuals in a fan palm by the Dinosaur exhibit at Ocean Park. 3. Five roosting individuals in a fan palm on Wan Tsai Road at Chai Wan, near the roundabout before Lin Shing Road turn-off.

A group of three Wild Boars Sus scrofa, of which two were juveniles, was spotted in an abandoned paddy field at Siu Tan, near Lai Chi Wo, at midday on 8 September 1999 by Billy Hau.

Quill thrills

A Porcupine Hystrix brachyura was seen walking down a concrete path near the lighthouse at Cape d'Aguilar at 11.15 pm on 18 August 1999 by Julia Shaw. Scattered Porcupine quills were encountered by Graham Reels and Mony Chin on the ridge between Wang Leng and Chung Mei, north of Plover Cove reservoir, on 9 October 1999.

I saw a Barking Deer Muntiacus sp. at Tai Lam Correctional Institution on 30 May 1999. It was on the road leading to Tai Lam reservoir dam. What I first took for an unusually tall and thin dog cantering towards me was in fact a young male deer (it had small antlers). When it noticed me it slowed down almost to a halt and sidled past me with chicken-like bobbing neck movements, before resuming its gallop northwards.

Steve Reels

More dead stuff

A photograph of a dead Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata appeared in Ming Pao newspaper on 26 May 1999. The animal was apparently found in a catchwater near WorldWide Garden, off Lion Rock Tunnel Road in Shatin. On 13 November 1999, Graham Reels picked up a roadkilled Seven-banded Civet Viverricula indica near Sam Mun Tsai on Ting Kok Road, Tai Po.

P.19-20

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	9 February 1999: at around 2pm, Joyce Ng, James Mubiru and Roger Kendrick observed a King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah attempting to quell a Copperhead Racer Elaphe radiata near one of the accommodation buildings at KARC. The Cobra held the Racer for some 25 minutes before letting go, when both snakes slid away along a water catchment. It was assumed that the Cobra must have bitten the Racer for a sufficient length of time to inject a fatal dose of venom and would wait for its victim to die before consuming it. No further trace of either snake was found in the following 24 hours. This observation was photographed by RCK and copies of the photos passed to Michael Lau for the records.