By Steve Challis
The Sundarbans
Most Tiger habitats are dry land. Tigers are good swimmers, and the Sumatran Tiger is especially adept at this. However, there is one important Bengal Tiger Habitat that has large amounts of water. It is designated as a wetland of international importance.
The Sundarbans is an area of mangrove swamps by the mouths of the Rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra. Behind the Mangrove area are brackish water swamps.
Mangroves
The Mangrove area of the Sundarbans of about 20,000 square kilometres is probably the largest single mangrove area in the world.
The mangrove area is dominated by the Sundari (Heritiera fomes) trees, and in terms of large plants, it has less variety than most plant communities, but it is an extremely productive area and has a very large number of different species of animal.
Tigers of the Sundarbans
Tigers are at the top of the food chain, and will eat any animal living in the area, either on land or in the water. There are probably about 500 Tigers in the area, making it one of the most important populations of Tigers anywhere in the world.
In this area, the Bengal Tiger seems to regard Humans as a normal part of its prey. The Tigers are protected animals here and in the rest of India and Bangladesh; a range of measures have been put into place to stop man eating. They have greatly reduced the problem.
Poaching
Although Tigers are protected animals, they are killed illegally. The market for tiger products is not generally India, but China.
The Governments of India and Bangladesh have tried to stop the poaching, but in the area of the Sundarbans, their efforts are greatly aided by the man eating habits of the Tigers.
Rising Sea Levels
The rise in sea level of about 20 centimetres (8 inches) in the last 100 years has combined with the subsidence of the area to put some pressure on this habitat. If the sea level continues to rise, the Sundarbans is under threat.
Human Threat
A more immediate threat to this habitat is Human activity. People have been clearing is so they have somewhere to live. The Human population density of the area is enormous.
Other Animals of the Sundarbans
Apart from the Tigers, there are around 30,000 spotted deer, and several other types of deer like the Barking Deer. Crocodiles of two species and one gavial share the water with Ganges Dolphins and Sharks together with huge numbers of different types of fish.
Macaques live in the trees with Langurs and a huge variety of birds.
Other Cats
Leopards, jungle cats, fishing cats and leopard cats also live in the area.
The Sundarbans
Most Tiger habitats are dry land. Tigers are good swimmers, and the Sumatran Tiger is especially adept at this. However, there is one important Bengal Tiger Habitat that has large amounts of water. It is designated as a wetland of international importance.
The Sundarbans is an area of mangrove swamps by the mouths of the Rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra. Behind the Mangrove area are brackish water swamps.
Mangroves
The Mangrove area of the Sundarbans of about 20,000 square kilometres is probably the largest single mangrove area in the world.
The mangrove area is dominated by the Sundari (Heritiera fomes) trees, and in terms of large plants, it has less variety than most plant communities, but it is an extremely productive area and has a very large number of different species of animal.
Tigers of the Sundarbans
Tigers are at the top of the food chain, and will eat any animal living in the area, either on land or in the water. There are probably about 500 Tigers in the area, making it one of the most important populations of Tigers anywhere in the world.
In this area, the Bengal Tiger seems to regard Humans as a normal part of its prey. The Tigers are protected animals here and in the rest of India and Bangladesh; a range of measures have been put into place to stop man eating. They have greatly reduced the problem.
Poaching
Although Tigers are protected animals, they are killed illegally. The market for tiger products is not generally India, but China.
The Governments of India and Bangladesh have tried to stop the poaching, but in the area of the Sundarbans, their efforts are greatly aided by the man eating habits of the Tigers.
Rising Sea Levels
The rise in sea level of about 20 centimetres (8 inches) in the last 100 years has combined with the subsidence of the area to put some pressure on this habitat. If the sea level continues to rise, the Sundarbans is under threat.
Human Threat
A more immediate threat to this habitat is Human activity. People have been clearing is so they have somewhere to live. The Human population density of the area is enormous.
Other Animals of the Sundarbans
Apart from the Tigers, there are around 30,000 spotted deer, and several other types of deer like the Barking Deer. Crocodiles of two species and one gavial share the water with Ganges Dolphins and Sharks together with huge numbers of different types of fish.
Macaques live in the trees with Langurs and a huge variety of birds.
Other Cats
Leopards, jungle cats, fishing cats and leopard cats also live in the area.
Post a Comment