SO WHAT'S SO WEIRD ABOUT HONG KONG CHELONIA?

Writing in 1951 in what has been one of the seminal books in my life, The Hong Kong Naturalist, Herklots wrote that the chelonia recorded from (or likely to occur) in Hong Kong included 'Two Marine Turtles, one large headed tortoise, six terrapins [and] three mud turtles.'

These figures have changed dramatically up and down ever since, and several of them exhibit cryptozoological (at least on a local level) interest.


Take Ocadia sinensis, for example. Herklots writes (see left) as if this is a well known (though uncommon) species in the colony (as it then was) whereas according to later pundits, such as the late John Romer, the incident described by Herklots is actually the only record EVER of it occurring in Hong Kong.


So you can see why Richard and I found the discovery of a new turtle species for Hong Kong so exciting. We are still waiting with baited breath to find out what Herklots's 'big headed tortoise' was, however, because the big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) is most definitely a terrapin rather than a tortoise, even though it is a peculiar creature that can even climb trees!