Mangrove forest Sundarbans

                                        

The Sundarbans - the largest continuous block of mangrove forest in the world

                                                                                                                      The Sundarbans - the largest constant hunk of mangrove forest in the world - cover an area of 5770 sq. km of land and water. It is a element of the world's largest delta, which has been twisted from sediments deposit by the great rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra that join on the Bengal basin. The western part of the forest lies in India and the rest (about 60%) in Bangladesh. About one third of the total area of this forest is roofed by river channels and tidal creeks, unreliable in width from just a few meters to 5 kilometers in some places! All parts of the Sundarbans forest are subject to tidal inundation during spring tides. The Bangladesh part of the forest is subject by a high mangrove forest cover. The climate is mainly tropical sea with lots of rain, most of which falls at some point in the monsoon. The monsoon season (May – October) is hot and humid, while winter (October – February) is soft and dry. During January temperatures can fall as low as 4°C.

The total National Park area is cover by mangrove forest. There are small patch of salt marsh on emerging islands and riverbanks, and sandy areas with pasture and low shrubs on some of the outer islands. The two dominant mangroves are Sundori (Heritiera fomes) and Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha).
Sundarbans is home to many different species of birds, mammals, insect, reptiles and fishes. Over 120 species of fish and over 270 species of birds have been record in the Sundarbans. The Gangetic River Dolphin (Platanista gangeticus) is common in the rivers. No less than 50 species of reptiles and eight species of amphibians are known to occur. The Sundarbans now support the only population of the Estuarine, or Salt-Water Crocodile in Bangladesh, and that population is estimated at less than two hundred individuals.
About 32 group of animal are still found in this forest. Among these are Rhesus Macaques, Clawless Otters, Leopard Cats, Fishing Cats and Spotted Deer. The entire Sundarbans Forest comprises the largest remaining tract of locale for the Royal Bengal Tiger.