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雖然香港所在之處並非適合珊瑚生長的熱帶區域，但仍可在水域內錄得84種石珊瑚、38種柳珊瑚、29種軟珊瑚及6種黑珊瑚。由於新界東北水域受到天然屏障保護，較少受珠江淡水影響，因此成為本港珊瑚覆蓋率最高和物種最豐富的海域，主要的珊瑚群落位於東平洲、吉澳、赤洲和海下灣。珊瑚礁能為大量海洋生物提供重要的棲息地、繁殖場所及豐富的食物來源。

Despite being in a marginal environment for coral growth, Hong Kong supports 84 hard-coral species, along with 38 species of gorgonians, 29 species of soft corals, and 6 species of black corals. Coral coverage and diversity in the northeast region are the highest in places such as Tung Ping Chau, Kat O, Port Island and Hoi Ha Wan because the waters in these areas are both sheltered and free from the influence of the Pearl River. The coral reefs also provide an important habitat and breeding ground, as well as a wide range of food sources, for other marine life.

馬尾藻全身的組織都能進行光合作用，生長期為冬季和春季。茂密的海草床既能抵禦湍急水流，又能讓小型海洋生物躲避捕食者，因而成為無脊椎動物及魚類的繁殖場所。 Brown Seaweed can carry out photosynthesis in all tissues, and grow in winter and spring. Seaweed beds serve as breeding grounds for invertebrates and fish, since they can prevent strong currents and protect smaller sea creatures from predators.

馬尾藻 Brown Seaweed Sargassum sp.

由於香港的近岸水質較為混濁，一般在淺水生活的鹿角珊瑚因而較為罕見，現時只錄得5個品種。其生長形態像鹿角般呈枝狀。 Staghorn Coral can grow in shallow water. The turbid conditions of local inshore waters may be one of the factors that limit the diversity and abundance of this coral. The coral colonies are made up mostly of branching species.

鹿角珊瑚 Staghorn Coral Acropora sp.

蜂巢珊瑚 Honeycomb coral Favia sp.

蜂巢珊瑚的適應力很強，能克服不同環境，因此在新界東北水域形成一個十分成熟的重要群落。現時香港水域內共錄得10個物種，生長形態多呈團塊狀。 The Honeycomb Coral can adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions. Therefore, the northeast area of Hong Kong has a strong and important faviid community. Ten species have been recorded in Hong Kong waters. The coral colonies are mostly massive.

薔薇珊瑚 Velvet coral Montipora sp.

在香港的珊瑚礁中，薔薇珊瑚十分常見，較多分布於東面的淺海。牠們擁有多種生長形態，包括平塊形、表覆形及分枝形。 This is a common species in the coral communities in Hong Kong and is especially abundant in the shallow eastern waters. It can be found in many different forms, including laminae, encrusting and branching.

牡丹珊瑚 Leaf Coral Pavona sp.

十字牡丹珊瑚是香港唯一的牡丹珊瑚屬物種，是淺水區域的優勢種，經常形成一大片十字牡丹珊瑚床，在香港東面及東北面一帶海域較常見。 Leaf Coral is the only member of Hong Kong’s Pavona species. Leaf Coral grows well in shallow waters, forming extensive Pavona beds. This species is commonly found in the northeastern and eastern waters of Hong Kong.

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克氏雙鋸魚 Clark's Anemonefish Amphiprion clarkia

克氏雙鋸魚奉行母系社會制度，雌性一般體型較大，群落中只有一條；假如雌性失去蹤跡，群落中最強壯的雄性會變性為雌性。牠們主要攝食水中的浮游生物和藻類。 The Clark's Anemonefish is a gregarious species with a matriarchal society. The females are much bigger than the males. If the female disappears, the strongest male in the group changes its gender. They are omnivorous, and their diet is mainly zooplankton and algae.

黃尾石剎 Chinese Demoiselles Neopomacentrus bankieri

黃尾石剎是珊瑚區域內的常見魚類之一，每群內通常有數百條之多，主要進食水中的浮游生物。 The Chinese Demoiselle is a common species in local coral areas. A single group usually consists of hundreds of individuals. The fish feeds on zooplankton.

巴布亞硝水母 Papuan Jellyfish Mastigias papua

巴布亞硝水母是香港常見的水母之一，主要捕食浮游生物、小魚和其他水母。此外，牠們活躍於淺水水域，讓共生的蟲黃藻接觸陽光，透過光合作用而提供養分。 The Papuan Jellyfish is a common species in Hong Kong waters. It is carnivorous, feeding on plankton, small fish and other jellyfish. It lives in shallow waters to be exposed to sunlight so that the symbiont zooxanthella can provide nutrients through photosynthesis.

香港三面環海，加上230個大小不一的離岸島嶼，海岸線長達1,200公里，包含生物繁多的沿岸海草床和紅樹林。新界東北的紅樹林廣泛分布於鹿頸、荔枝窩、汀角和海下灣等，其中汀角不僅紅樹物種及潮間帶生物豐富，而且交通最為便利。荔枝窩則擁有全港面積最大的海草床，為大量潮間帶生物提供棲息地及繁殖場所。

Hong Kong is surrounded mostly by sea and has 230 islands. It has a coastline of about 1,200 kilometres, which contains diverse, productive coastal seagrass bed and mangrove forests. Mangroves are widely distributed along the coast of Luk Keng, Lai Chi Wo, Ting Kok and Hoi Ha Wan. Ting Kok is the most accessible site and has a wide variety of mangroves and associated fauna. Lai Chi Wo has the largest seagrass bed in Hong Kong, which provides a habitat and breeding grounds for a variety of intertidal animals.

矮大葉藻被香港植物標本室列為100種香港稀有及珍貴植物之一，全港最大面積的海草床就是由矮大葉藻構成，為海洋無脊椎動物和魚類幼體提供覓食和藏身之所。 Dwarf Eel Grass is one of the 100 rare and precious plants of Hong Kong proposed by the Hong Kong Herbarium. The largest seagrass bed in Hong Kong is composed of Dwarf Eel Grass. This seagrass bed provides shelter and food for juveniles and larvae of marine invertebrates and fishes.

矮大葉藻 Dwarf Eel Grass Zostera japonica

僧帽牡蠣是海中的「天然過濾器」，依靠濾食水中的微生物維生，因而同時有助控制有機物和藻類的濃度，從而改善水質。牠們通常依附在堅固的表面，例如岩石和紅樹根幹。 Rock Oysters are filter feeders, which consume plankton, thus helping control the concentration of organic matter and improving seawater quality. The oysters usually attach to stable surfaces, such as rocks, roots and trunks of mangrove trees.

僧帽牡蠣 Rock Oyster Saccostrea cucullata

加夫蛤/美女蛤/ 青蛤 Clams

為了躲避捕食者、防止脫水和不易被海浪捲走，蛤類利用斧足鑽入沙或泥中。其體腔內的鰓除了用於呼吸外，亦具備濾食功能；當水流通過鰓部時，微細的有機物粒子便被隔濾，然後送到口中。 Clams are safe from wave action, predation and desiccation at low tide because they use their foot to burrow into the sand or mud. They use their gills in the mantle cavity for filter feeding and respiration. As water passes through their gills, tiny organic particles are trapped and transported to their mouth.

雜色角孔海膽 Decorative Urchin Salmacis sphaeroides

海膽是香港常見的海洋生物，共有21個物種，主要分布於東面水域。這種海膽經常會用貝殼、海藻或枯葉遮蓋身體，藉以減少水分散失。 Sea urchins are common marine organisms in Hong Kong. There are 21 local species, distributed mostly in the eastern waters. Decorative Urchins place shells, algae or leaves on their spines to reduce water loss.

北方凹指招潮蟹 Northern Calling Fiddler Crab Uca borealis

北方凹指招潮蟹是紅樹林常見動物，以沙中的碎屑為食物，雄性擁有一隻誇張的螯，雌性雙螯則大小相若。雄蟹會揮舞大螯，作為求偶工具，或用作自衛武器。 The Northern Calling Fiddler Crab is a common animal in mangrove forests. It feeds on detritus on the mud or sand surface. While females have two small pincers, there is a striking contrast in the size of the two pincers of the males. The larger pincer is used mainly in waving displays related to fighting or courtship.

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飛白楓海星 Common Sea Star Archaster typicus

飛白楓海星曾經是香港潮間帶的常見生物，但因為水質污染及棲息地破壞而愈來愈罕見。牠們擁有五隻腕足，腹部呈白色，外形像一片楓葉，因而得名。 Common Sea Stars were once common in Hong Kong intertidal waters, but they have become increasingly rare due to the water pollution and habitat destruction. This starfish has five arms. Owing to their maple-like body shape and white ventral side, they have a very beautiful Chinese name - Flying White Maples.

秋茄 Kandelia Kandelia obovate

秋茄是香港分布最廣泛的紅樹，其特徵是筆直而長的胚軸。筆狀的成熟胚軸會脫離母株，插進沉積物中，長成另一棵秋茄樹。 The Kandelia is a mangrove species commonly found in intertidal zones. It is easily identified by its straight long droppers. When the droppers mature, they detach from the parent plant, anchor in the sediment and grow into new plants.

苦郎樹 Wild Jasmine Clerodendrum inerme

苦郎樹是香港原生灌木，可長至3米高，通常於紅樹林靠近陸地的一方生長。白色的花帶有芳香，而且形態像茉莉，所以又名假茉莉，但兩者在分類學上並沒關聯。 This is a native evergreen shrub that grows up to about 3m tall. It is found between mangrove forests and land. Its fragrant white flowers looks like jasmine flowers, but they are not related.

黃槿 Cuban Bast Hibiscus tiliaceus

黃槿是香港原生喬木，可高達7米，主要生長於河岸和海邊。其葉子呈心形，人們昔日會用作蒸茶粿的墊子。 The Cuban Bast is a native tree that grows up to about 7m tall. It normally grows on strands or seashore. It has heart-shaped leaves, which were used to wrap rice dumplings in the past.

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海芒果 Sea Mango Cerbera manghas

海芒果是一種常綠原生喬木，可高達5米，主要生長於海邊及鄰海山坡。雖然果實形狀像芒果，但是誤服會致命，整株植物折斷時會流出黏稠的乳汁。 This is a common evergreen tree, growing up to about 5m tall. It grows on the seashore or hillsides near the shore. Its fruit has the shape of a mango, but it is poisonous. It exudes a sticky latex when it is opened.

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大白鷺 Great Egret Ardea alba

大白鷺是香港常見的鷺鳥，多在沿岸淺水區出沒。雖然外貌和小白鷺相似，但可憑黃色的喙及黑色的腳趾分辨出來。 The Great Egret can found in Hong Kong hunting in shallow water away from the shore. It is similar in general appearance to the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), but the Great Egret has a yellow bill and black toes.

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褐翅燕鷗 Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus

每逢夏季，來自東南亞的褐翅燕鷗會飛到香港東北面的岩礁上繁殖。其前額呈白色，頭頂至頸後黑色，以小魚為主要食物。 Every summer, Bridled Terns from Southeast Asia visit and breed on the rocky islands in NE Hong Kong. They have a black crown and nape. They usually feed on small fish.

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There are often small, well-developed forests next to historical villages or temples in the NE New Territories. These are Fung Shui Woods, found in places such as Lai Chi Wo, Sheung Wo Hang, Muk Min Tau and Luk Keng, which were planted and protected by villagers in the past. The villagers believe the woods can block evil spirits. Fung Shui Woods also provide food and shelter for many wild animals, and continue to have benefits in slope stability and micro-climate regulation.

在新界東北村落的後方或廟宇附近，常有面積細小但樹木種類豐富的「風水林」，主要地點包括荔枝窩、上禾坑、木棉頭和鹿頸。昔時的村民認為種植風水林可以擋煞氣，保平安；從現今生態學的角度來說，風水林既為不少野生動物提供食物和棲息地，也能鞏固斜坡和調節該區的微氣候。

東方菜粉蝶 Indian Cabbage White Pieris canidia

香港蝴蝶物種豐富，現時已錄得超過230種。東方菜粉蝶所屬的粉蝶科，喜歡訪花、吸蜜，亦會集體伏在濕潤的地面吸水。牠們之所以常在菜園附近出沒，是因為其幼蟲以白菜和椰菜等十字花科農作物為主要食物。 There are over 230 butterfly species in Hong Kong. Adult butterflies of the Pieridae family like nectar and are often seen mud-puddling in groups. The Indian Cabbage White is usually found near vegetable fields, where its caterpillars feed on members of the family Cruciferae, like Chinese cabbage and cabbage.

沼蛙 Gunther's Frog Hylarana guentheri

現時全港共錄得24種兩棲動物，沼蛙是較常見的一種。這種大型蛙類喜愛在農地、池塘、河溪及排水溝等環境居住，捕食草蜢、蟋蟀和蚯蚓等無脊椎動物。 Twenty-four species of amphibians have been recorded across the territory. Gunther's Frogs usually live in farmland, ponds, streams or drains. They feed on invertebrates such as grasshoppers, crickets and earthworms.

果子狸 Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata

果子狸大多在夜間活動，喜愛獨來獨往，日間會在樹洞或樹枝上休息。牠們是雜食性動物，以核果和漿果為食物，同時也會捕食昆蟲和小型哺乳動物。果子狸亦擔當傳播種子的角色，種子藏在其排泄物內，便可散播到不同地方。 Masked Palm Civets are solitary, nocturnal species, which rest in tree cavities or branches during the day. Their main diet is drupes and berries, but they also prey on insects and small mammals. They act as an important seed disperser, as their dung contains a lot of seeds.

領角鴞 Collared Scops Owl Otus lettia

領角鴞是夜行性動物，在夜間出沒覓食，捕捉昆蟲、小鳥和小型哺乳動物作食物。由於具有極佳的夜視能力，因而能在黑漆的環境下靈活活動及搜索獵物；其羽毛構造特殊，可抑制飛行時發出的聲響，增加成功捕獲獵物的機會。 The Collared Scops Owl is a nocturnal predator. It hunts for insects, birds and small mammals alone at night. It has excellent night vision, which allows it to see in a completely dark environment and search for food. Its thick, soft-edged feathers help suppressing the sound produced during flight, allowing it to conduct surprise attacks on its prey.

樟樹 Camphor Tree Cinnamonmum camphora

在不少郊區村落都可找到樟樹，其樹冠廣闊，枝葉茂密，可長至30米高。全株可提煉「樟腦」，具有為家具驅蟲及除臭的作用，昔日人們更會利用樟腦製成香皂和洗髮精等日用品。 The Camphor Tree is a large native evergreen tree common to many villages in the New Territories. It has a broad crown and dense branches and leaves. It can grow up to 30m tall. The entire plant can be refined into “camphor”, which is used as a deodorant and insect-repellent in furniture. In the old days, people used to make soap, shampoo and other articles from the wood.

牙香樹 Incense Tree Aquilaria sinensis

牙香樹是香港原生喬木，高約10米。當樹幹受傷被真菌感染後，產生的樹脂可製成中藥「沉香」。據說開埠初期，香港曾經是生產及轉口沉香木材的港口，因此被稱為「香的港口」，故得名「香港」。 The Incense Tree is a native tree that grows up to about 10m tall. When its trunk is infected by fungi, it produces a resin which is used as a raw material in a Chinese herbal medicine. Rumour has it that the incense tree and its products were produced in and exported from Hong Kong in the past, earning Hong Kong the name “Fragrant Harbour”.

血桐 Elephant’s Ear Macaranga tanarius

血桐是香港原生喬木，可高達5米，屬先鋒樹種，生長速度快，所以廣泛分布在沿岸地帶和低地樹林內。樹幹受傷時會滲出汁液，經氧化後變成血紅色。英文俗名「象的耳朵」，正是形容其葉子有如大象的耳朵。 The Elephant’s Ear is an evergreen tree native to Hong Kong. It grows up to 5m tall. This pioneer species is a fast-growing plant, which dominates the area near the shoreline and lowland forests. When its branches are snapped off, the sap that seeps out has a blood-like appearance when it is oxidized. The common English name for the plant reflects the leaf’s shape, as it resembles an elephant’s ear.