One Ocean, Many Worlds of Life - Convention on Biological Diversity

soil, the swampy vegetation is sufficiently thick and lush that herbivorous
mammals such as deer and antelope thread their way through it and feast
on it, while also remaining alert for aquatic predators such as crocodiles and
alligators and even, in the Sundarbans <strong>of</strong> India and Bangladesh, terrestrial
carnivores like tigers.
Beneath the water’s surface, the thick roots <strong>of</strong> mangrove trees are covered with
filter feeders like oysters, mussels, and anemones. Fiddler crabs dig holes in
the mud that males defend fiercely with their oversized right claws, and for
good reason: at low tide, the crabs scuttle out <strong>of</strong> their burrows in search <strong>of</strong>
food, but dry out easily and must return to their homes frequently to “top
up” with the pools <strong>of</strong> water that collect there. Some species <strong>of</strong> the unusual,
semi-aquatic fish called mudskippers also rest in underwater burrows during
high tide, while others live higher up the muddy shore or even climb trees
to avoid drowning.23
The difficulties involved in adapting to the ocean’s fringes are perhaps
highlighted by the fact that although life in many such intertidal habitats
may be abundant, it is not always diverse. There are, for example, only 40
species <strong>of</strong> mangrove tree in the Indo-Pacific region, in contrast to tropical
timberlands which can boast 100 or more species in a single hectare.24
flickr/dawvon flickr/chikawatanabe
Curious neighbours: Anemones give refuge to clown
fish/Mudskipper meets fiddler crab
22 Marine BiOdiversity