Hong Kong Newt – Hong Kong Wildlife | 香港蠑螈 – 香港野生動物

We have many native frogs, but only 1 tailed amphibian (salamander or newt).

The Hong Kong Newt, or Hong Kong Warty Newt (Paramesotriton hongkongensis) – I have usually found them in clean mountain streams in Lantau, Hong Kong Island, and the eastern and northern parts of New Territories.

It was once believed to be an endemic species of Hong Kong, but later also found in Guangdong Province in China. Some scientists consider it a subspecies of the Chinese warty newt (Paramesotriton chinensis) but many disagree.

They can grow to up to 15 cm (5.9″) and are very slow-moving carnivores so they mainly prey on earthworms and tadpoles. When hungry they even eat the eggs of their own kind!

Basically nocturnal but they also come out in the daytime in a large group during the breeding season. I have seen over 100 of them crawling on land at a time!

Paramesotriton hongkongensis (Myers and Leviton, 1962)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Salamandridae
Genus: Paramesotriton
Species: P. hongkongensis

Where in HK?
New Territories, Hong Kong Island, Lantau, etc

Size: 15 cm
Distribution: Hong Kong, Guangdong Province.
Habitat: Unpolluted mountain streams
Diet: Carnivore
Behavior: Nocturnal
Conservation status: Near Threatened

See more of my encounters with Hong Kong Wildlife.

香港有很多蛙類, 但只有一種有尾的兩棲類, 香港瘰螈

香港蠑螈, 我曾經在大嶼山的一些清澈山澗, 找到牠們的蹤跡, 也曾發現牠們於香港島 新界東及新界北。曾經被認為是香港獨有的品種, 但後來發現中國廣東一帶也有出沒。

牠們體長可達15厘米, 牠們是動作很慢的肉食性動物, 主要以蚯蚓及蝌蚪為食。牠們肚餓的時候, 甚麼會進食同類的蛋!

基本上是夜行性動物, 但也會在日間出沒, 特別是繁殖期間, 會群體出沒, 我曾經看過多達100隻香港瘰螈同時出現呢。


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