Spadenose shark in Yeung Uk Road Market, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong on 2 December 2013.

Species: Spadenose shark (Scoliodon laticaudus)

Location: Yeung Uk Road Market, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong.

Date: 2 December 2013 

Comment: This is a small shark – these are adults.

Spadenose sharks in Tai Po Hui Market, Hong Kong on 22 November 2013

Species: Spadenose shark (Scoliodon laticaudus)

Location: Tai Po Hui Market, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong.

Date: 22 November 2013

Comment: These are about 2 feet long. This is a small shark – these are adults.

Hammerhead Shark in Yeung Uk Road Market, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong on 15 November 2013

Species: Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna spp)

Location: Yeung Uk Road Market, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong.

Date: 15 November 2013

Seahorse caught near Discovery Bay, Lantau on 29 October 2013.

Species: Hippocampus spp., possibly H. Kuda

Date/Time: Early morning. 29 October 2013

Location: At a location near Discovery Bay, Lantau, Hong Kong.

Circumstances of capture: A local fisherman caught the seahorse using a net at a regular fishing location of his. He has previously caught seahorses at the same location, suggesting there is a colony living there.

Comment: Fishermen are an invaluable but underutilized source of information on marine biodiversity in Hong Kong and surprisingly conservation minded when you get to know them.

Mating pair of Tachypleus tridentatus caught at Ha Pak Nai, Deep Bay, Hong Kong on 8 October 2013.

Date: 8 October 2013

Location: Ha Pak Nai, Deep Bay, Hong Kong.

Comment: Mating pair of Tachypleus tridentatus caught by a local fisherman close to the shore at Ha Pak Nai, Deep Bay, Hong Kong.
Female: 33 cms across prosoma. 67 cms long.
Male: 25 cms across prosoma. Length not measured because of broken tail.  

The fisherman donated the pair to the horseshoe crab breed and release programme being run by City University and Ocean Park in Hong Kong. This is them in their new home.

Male and female together

Male on the right.

Female

In T. tridentatus, sexual dimorphism is shown by the presence of notches on the anterior margin of the male prosoma (head shield) and these are a secondary sexual characteristic – they are not apparent in the juveniles. These notches assist the male in attaching to the female during mating and are only present in male T. tridentatus – this is one of the distinguishing features of the male of this species.

The scars on the female opisthoma caused by prolonged attachment of the male. This female was carrying no eggs, suggesting this marked the end of a successful spawning season for the pair.

Black-crowned Night Heron feeding at Peng Chau, Hong Kong on 18 May 2013.

Subject: Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Date: 18 May 2013

Location: Peng Chau, Hong Kong

Comment: Series of photographs showing a Black-crowned Night Heron making 3 attempts to eat a fish it has just caught on the water-front at Peng Chau, plus some photographs of this bird flying around the Peng Chau Ferry Pier.

First attempt to eat the fish

Second attempt

Succesful on the third attempt

 

Flying away 

Nice farewell fly-past by the bird and its mate

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) fishing at Peng Chau, Hong Kong on 12 May 2013.

Subject: Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) fishing.

Date: 12 May 2013

Location: Sea front of Peng Chau Island, Hong Kong.

First sequence

Second sequence