ckacheung

Mai Po
18/8/2009

HKBWS Bonnie

GREAT CAPTURE!!

HKBWS Vicky

so close and so cute!!

sdavid

I'm not sure that the local birds would think this critter is so cute!

kmatthew

yes, I will love to see one of them taking on a Cobra someday!! Actually, does any one know if this species eat cobras like other mongoose??

bittern

Nice shot! Anyway I thought cobras are rare in HK with only two species, King and Chinese. If anyone reported one fending off a cobra, great!

jacwu

難得一見! Thanks for sharing!

John Holmes

2010-Oct-07  near Mai Po


“The book of Indian Animals” by S H Prater (Bombay Natural History Society) is quite informative on the subject of mongooses.

“Mongooses take vegetable food, but have a preference for meat….Their manner of hunting is distinctive…. direct, open and headlong attack.

Seeing its prey, a mongoose goes for it, but if the distance is too far for a rush or pounce, it will stalk for a sufficiently near approach. Or following its quarry by scent, a mongoose may trail it to its burrow and, entering, dig its victim out.  Its pointed head, small ears, lissom body, and short legs are well fitted to give the mongoose easy entry...”

“The claws, especially long and well-developed in the forefeet, are digging claws; while the contrivance for closing the ear is designed, apparently, to keep out dust and dirt when burrowing.”

tsheunglai

It is both nice and with a feeling of pride to see such beautiful a mammal equally matched in photographic
manifestation. The mongoose's existence and prosperity at Mai Po and procupines found around Tai Mo Shan
(an elderly man told me he saw a mother with her young one at Lead Mine Pass some days ago) give me comfort that HK people have virtually stop hunting and our natural environment is overall speaking improving, though South-China tigers surely will never make their appearance before us anymore!

S L Tai

ajohn

I seem to remember that Bena has a photo of a mongoose in a stand-off with a King Cobra at Mai Po.

tsheunglai

King cobras are all around MPNR. Given right place at the right time they will show well before you.
Ask the reserve helpers/workers, they will surely tell vivid encounters of them. Personally
I saw a big one right beside the gate that pass us out to the boardwalk.

S L Tai

handrew

Quote:

Original posted by tsheunglai at 12/10/2010 21:36
King cobras are all around MPNR. Given right place at the right time they will show well before you.

Gosh, I feel much better knowing this!

Andrew

brendank

I was under the impression King Cobras prefer forest-type habitats.  I am surprised that Mai Po would be there choice location.

lkatherine

Quote:

Original posted by ajohn at 12-10-2010 17:22
I seem to remember that Bena has a photo of a mongoose in a stand-off with a King Cobra at Mai Po.

Yes, one of our WWF staff has photographed a mongoose with a King Cobra at the AFCD path in May 2008. Not sure "who" is the prey?



Both King and Chinese Cobra are present at Mai Po, each was reported about once a year. I also remember seeing young individuals killed by car on Tam Kon Chau Road in the past few years.

Katherine

kmike

I remember Lew Young telling me about finding a good-sized King Cobra curled around the light fitting in one of the toilets in the education centre - you have been warned!!  

Cheers
Mike

ajohn

King Cobras eat snakes, so occur in more or less any habitat where other snakes are present. My only encounter was in a marsh at Sha Po, when I disturbed a nearly 2m individual which hissed and stood up ready to attack. A very worrying encounter!