Amphibians & Reptiles - Amphibia & Reptilia
Frogs & Toads - Anura
Asian Common Toad - Duttaphrynus melanosticus Hong Kong Rice Paddy Frog - Fejervaya multistriata Brown Wood Frog - Hylarana latouchii Asiatic Painted Frog - Kaloula pulchra Lesser Spiny Frog - Quasipaa exilispinosa Chinese Bullfrog - Rana rugulosa Günther's Frog - Hylarana guentheri Salamanders - Caudata Hong Kong Newt - Paramesotriton hongkongensis |
Lizards - Sauria
Sagaing Blue Crested Agama - Calotes geissleri Burmese Blue Crested Lizard - Calotes mystaceus Changeable Lizard - Calotes versicolor Four-Clawed Gecko - Gehyra mutilata Forest Gecko - Gekko chinensis Oriental House Gecko - Hemidactylus bowringii Garnot's House Gecko - Hemidactylus garnotii Long-Tailed Skink - Mabuya longicaudata Chinese Water Dragon - Physignathus cocincinus Chinese Skink - Plestiodon chinensis Five-Striped Blue-Tailed Skink - Plestiodon elegans Four-Striped Blue-Tailed Skink - Plestiodon quadrilineatus Vietnamese Blue-Tailed Skink - Plestiodon tamdaoensis Modest Ground Skink - Scincella modesta |
Reeves's Ground Skink - Scincella reevesii
Brown Forest Skink - Sphenomorphus incognitus Indian Forest Skink - Sphenomorphus indicus Snakes - Serpentes Buff-Striped Keelback - Amphiesma stolata Copper-Headed Rat Snake - Coelagnathus radiatus Yellow-Spotted Keelback - Fowlea flavipunctata Common Mock Viper - Psammodynastes pulverulentus Indochinese Rat Snake - Ptyas korros Red-Necked Keelback - Rhabdophis helleri Bamboo Snake - Trimesurus albolabris Turtles - Testudines Yellow Pond Turtle - Mauremys mutica Reeves's Terrapin - Mauremys reevesii Chinese Soft-Shell Turtle - Pelodiscus sinensis Big-Headed Terrapin - Platysternon megacephalus Red-Eared Slider - Trachemys scripta elegans |
Frogs & Toads - Anura
Asian Common Toad 黑眶蟾蜍 Duttaphrynus melanostictus
A large, warty toad, yellowish-brown or darker in colour. Average adult size about 6cm but may reach 10cm. It inflates its body if disturbed or is about to be swallowed by a snake. Is frequently found hiding beneath objects during the day. Probably the most widespread of Hong Kong amphibians.
Hong Kong Rice Paddy Frog 多紋澤蛙 Fejervaya multistriata
Brown Wood Frog 闊褶蛙 Hylarana latouchii
A small nocturnal frog of southern China. Also known as the 'kuatun frog'.
Asiatic Painted Frog 花狹口蛙 Kaloula pulchra
Known as a 'chubby frog' in the pet trade, it is native to Hong Kong, living by cultivated land. Also known as a 'Banded Bullfrog'. It burrows into soil and can look distinctly obese, such as the below example which was found hiding in a flower pot near Fanling. It feeds on ants and termites. Primarily a burrower it can climb steep surfaces with well-developed suction discs on its fore feet.
Lesser Spiny Frog 小棘蛙 Quasipaa exilispinosa
Chinese Bullfrog 虎紋蛙 Rana rugulosa
A very large frog. The back is olive brown with scattered black spots and elongated wrinkles. The eyes are large and the belly is white. The breeding period is from May to June. Also known as the Edible Frog it is the species sold at local markets, but the animals are imported from China and Thailand. It feeds mostly on large insects, but also on small rodents and small frogs.
Günther's Frog 沼蛙 Sylvirana guentheri
A large frog, up to 10cm in length. Lives in ponds and slow-flowing water courses. Feeds on insects and is quite vocal in April when it starts to breed. Quite widespread in Hong Kong.
Salamanders - Caudata
Hong Kong Newt 香港瘰螈 Paramesotriton hongkongensis
It's the only species of newt in Hong Kong. Only present in Hong Kong and coastal Guangdong province. Occurs in pools of clear hill and mountain streams. It breeds during the winter, from September to March. The newt's underbelly has red-range blotches.
Lizards - Sauria
Sagaing Blue Crested Agama 蓋氏樹蜥 Calotes geissleri
Presumably introduced, found near Disneyland in north-east Lantau. Records of sightings date back to 2022.
Burmese Blue Crested Lizard 白唇樹蜥 Calotes mystaceus
Sightings date back to 2018, also found in and near Disneyland in north-east Lantau. There is some debate as to which of the species closely-related to this one the population is. Some suggest Calotes goetzi. Maybe there are not two species and they are all Calotes geissleri, as above, or maybe there's a mixture of two or three different species of introduced blue-headed lizards from Myanmar.
Changeable Lizard 變色樹蜥 Calotes versicolor
It is very widespread and found in city parks as well as in the countryside. It can grow up to 40cm in length from head to tail tip. A prominent crest begins at the neck and extends down the body. The crest is less prominent in younger lizards. A widely distributed lizard from Southern Iran to South China. This species has also been called the 'Bloodsucker' because the male develops a bright red throat during breeding season.
Four-Clawed Gecko 壁虎下目 Gehyra mutilata
A common gecko in houses. Also known as the pale house gecko. Similar to the forest gecko but lighter in colour.
Forest Gecko 壁虎下目 Gekko chinensis
A dark-coloured small gecko. Despite its name it is also common in residences. It's about 8-12cm in length, the same size as the much paler house gecko.
Oriental House Gecko 無疣蝎虎 Hemidactylus bowringii
Asian House Gecko 疣尾蜥虎 Hemidactylus frenatus
Garnot's House Gecko 鋸尾蜥虎 Hemidactylus garnotii
Long-Tailed Skink 長尾南蜥 Mabuya longicaudata
A long skink - up to 40cm from head to tail tip, although 3/4 of this is the tail. Its back is tan or reddish-brown with a dark stripe on each side extending from the eye to the hind leg. Feeds on large insects such as crickets or grasshoppers as well as earthworms.
Chinese Water Dragon Physignathus cocincinus
Chinese water dragons, although native to China, were not part of Hong Kong's fauna until around 2004 when observations of them living wild, presumably escaped pets, started to happen.
Chinese Skink 中國石龍子 Plestiodon chinensis
Five-Striped Blue-Tailed Skink 藍尾石龍子 Plestiodon elegans
Four-Striped Blue-Tailed Skink 四線石龍子 Plestiodon quadrilineatus
Vietnamese Five-Lined Skink 越南五線石龍子 Plestiodon tamdaoensis
Modest Ground Skink 宁波滑蜥 Scincella modesta
Reeves's Ground Skink 南滑蜥 Scincella reevesii
Brown Forest Skink 股鱗蜓蜥 Sphenomorphus incognitus
A medium-sized robust skink, up to 20cm in length. Brown in colour with a dark brown or black zig-zag lateral stripe that extends from eye to hind legs. It feeds on leaf litter cockroaches, small grasshoppers, earthworms and other small arthropods. It lives in hilly secondary forest.
Indian Forest Skink 銅蜓蜥 Sphenomorphus indicus
Looks a lot like the brown forest skink, but has a slightly shorter snout length. This species is brown, whereas the brown forest skink is more bronze in colour. The Indian forest skink is often found on forest paths whereas the brown forest skink is more likely to be found basking near streams.
Snakes - Serpentes
Buff-Striped Keel-Back 草游蛇 Amphiesma stolata
This water snake swims readily. In these photos it is in a catch-water above Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island. This is a non-venomous snake. Medium-sized with an average total length of about 65cm. Mostly feeds on frogs and toads, and occasionally on fish. Distributed over Southern China and Southeast Asia.
Copper-Headed Rat Snake 三索頜腔蛇 Coelagnathus radiatus
Yellow-Spotted Keelback 漁游蛇/草花蛇 Fowlea flavipunctata
Common Mock Viper 茶斑蛇 Psammodynastes pulverulentus
Indochinese Rat Snake 細紋南蛇 Ptyas korros
Red-necked Keelback 海勒颈槽蛇 Rhabdophis helleri
Bamboo Snake 白唇竹葉青 Trimeresurus albolabris
A venomous snake, probably the most common venomous snake in Hong Kong. It likes to climb bushes and small trees but is also often found on the ground. Primarily nocturnal. Bite is painful and causes much swelling, but death is virtually unheard of in healthy people. Feeds on mammals, frogs, lizards and occasionally small birds. Ranges from Northern India to central and southern China, south to Indonesia.
Turtles - Testudines
Yellow Pond Turtle 柴棺龜 Mauremys mutica
A non-native turtle, although southern China is within its native range of SE Asia to Taiwan. This one was probably a released pet.
Reeves's Terrapin / Chinese Pond Turtle 金龜 Mauremys reevesii
Hong Kong's original pond turtle before all the red-eared sliders came in and took over. Now it's hard to find. I saw this one in a New Territories stream underneath a lychee tree.
Chinese Soft-Shell Turtle 鱉 Pelodiscus sinensis
The first time I saw one of these turtles was in Singapore, where I saw one that was as wide as a car tyre, moving down a creek not much wider than the animal itself. This animal was snapped about to dive into an ornamental pond in North District Park in Hong Kong. Here it is a native species, although endangered as they are commonly eaten. It is the most economically important of all farmed turtles due to consumption in China.
Big-Headed Terrapin 大頭龜 Platysternon megacephalus
Red-Eared Slider 巴西龜 Trachemys scripta elegans
Probably the most common reptile in Hong Kong. Most lakes in city parks seem to be infested by this species of turtle. Also present in some large bodies of water such as Pokfulam Reservoir and Disney's Inspiration Lake. Its normal range is North America and it is an introduced species in Hong Kong.