All land life originated billions of years
ago in the swampy margins between land and sea in places like
the Sunderban. Best known as the home of the Royal Bengal
tiger, this mangrove wilderness, harbours at least one creature
that still possesses an original tool that allowed water dwellers
to move to land. This is the mud skipper, a fish that walks
on land and even climbs trees! Moving south into the district
of 24 Parganas of West Bengal, you enter a diverse ecological
habitat. The river Hooghly decants itself into these swamps
before it proceeds to meet the Bay of Bengal. The melting
snows of the Himalayan and Tibetan ecosystems and the monsoon
run-off flow into this delta, which is fringed by the largest
mangrove tiger habitat in the world. The mighty Ganga, Brahmaputra
and Meghna rivers empty here. Almost 60 per cent of the total
mangrove acreage in India is to be found in the Sunderban.
It is a land of opposites. Snakes, sharks, crocodiles, crustaceans,
deer and pig have adapted perfectly to the hostile terrain
but the tiger has claimed the land as its own. The Sunderban
National Park is one of India's best protected reserves.
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| As many as 35 species of mammals thrive in this
area where they shelter, roost, feed or breed. Because of the
varied habitat the creatures that live here are terrestrial,
estuarine or marine. There are an estimated 242 tigers in the
2,525 sq km area, but aren't very easy to sight since the dense
jungle offers perfect camouflage. Since the thick aerial roots
of the mangrove makes it difficult for the tiger to hunt (they
inhibit the quick movement required to capture prey like the
chital), the tiger has actually taken to fishing for its food.
The adaptation is so comprehensive that the tiger's daily water
consumption may contain as much as three per cent salts. The
Sunderban tiger is a great swimmer with the capacity to battle
strong currents, although in the water it faces threats from
the shark and the crocodile.
Chital can be seen in herds in the grassy and forested areas
often interacting with Rhesus Macaques on treetops. These
two are often seen together and are a perfect example of symbiosis.
Other terrestrial fauna include the leopard and wild boar.
The fishing cat is often seen in the creeks.
The Bengal Fox and the Indian pangolin also abound amidst
the mangroves. Two species of mongoose, venomous snakes, and
a variety of otters, bats and rodents are also found here.
The Gangetic dolphins and porpoises occupy the estuarine area.
The Estuarine crocodile and the Bengal Monitor inhabit the
banks of the rivers and streams. The crocodile, Crocodylus
porosus is one of the world's largest and rarest crocodiles
alive.
At the time of the daily flooding, terrestrial animals take
recourse to dry lands available, while aquatic organisms filter
into the mangrove area. The fresh water turtle, Batagur Baska
and the marine Olive Ridley turtle, both of which are endangered,
lie in the sands of their nesting grounds at Halliday Island.
The Rana and Bufo species of frogs have also been observed.
There are lizards present as well as agamids and geckos, snakes
like the Russell's viper, banded krait and chequered keel-back
are found besides the common cobra, king cobra, pythons, dhamans
and greenwhips. You will probably see the amazing mudskippers,
small fish that prefer land to water and are found on rocks
or the aerial roots of mangroves. They use their fins to move
in the swampy soils when the tide is out skipping along in
the mud.
Freshwater fish that breed and spawn in the estuaries, crustaceans
like shrimps, prawns, and crabs like the fiddler crab is common.
Hilsa, pomfret, pama and polyhemus are the marine species
of fish that navigate the estuary to reach their spawning
areas upstream. The bhekti, mugili and shela fish thrive in
the mangrove areas.
The Hooghly-Matla estuary harbours a profusion of molluscs
including bivalves, gastropods and scaphopods, which may be
free-living or attached to substrata. You can see sea anemones
at Patharpratina, Namkhana, and Jharkali.
It is not surprising that dense swamps host the largest variety
of insect life of which the rock bee is the most prominent.
Huge hives can be seen in the forested areas where they make
wild honey. Several species of butterflies and moths flutter
around, exploring the terrain and magnificent blooms full
of nectar.
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| Sunderban is blessed with nearly 260 different
species of birds. Storks, herons and egrets are likely to be
seen. Spoonbills, ibises, cormorants and bitterns are also seen.
The White-breasted Kingfisher, Small Blue Kingfisher and the
Pied Kingfisher feast on the abundant fish, worms and tadpoles
found in the region.
Many are migrants from the north. Mynahs, bulbuls and parakeets,
along with barbets, orioles, cuckoos and sunbirds are constant
visitors to the mangroves during the fruiting season. Woodpeckers
battering away on dead logs or Open Billed Storks nesting
in the mangroves are a familiar sight.
Aquatic birds like seagulls, snipe, sandpiper, stilts and
pipits are found in winter. Wild ducks, Teals, Terns, Plovers
and Lapwings abound in the waters and along muddy shores.
Sea eagles, harriers, osprey, falcons and hawks are prominent
in the list of raptors that are featured around these parts.
The Crested Serpent Eagle and the Brahminy Kite are heavyweights
that scour the area for prey. Vultures and crows also scavenge
the area.
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