In West BSunderban National Park Tour|Sundarban tiger Reserve Tourengal, the mangrove forest of the Sunderbans, is situated in the vast swampy delta of two great Indian rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Ganga. It extends over a vast area of mangrove forests, swamps and forested islands. Two eco-regions of forests are found here; firstly the freshwater swamp forests and secondly, the mangroves forests.
The Sunderban ecosystem is characterized by a very dynamic atmosphere due to the effect of tide, flooding, salinity in water. As a result, this has a fascinating diversity of natural elements. Over 40 mammal species, over 270 bird species, over 45 reptile species, at least 11 amphibian species, over 120 fish species, an unknown number of invertebrates, more than 330 plant species are found in this eco-region. Remarkable species, such as, estuarine crocodile, spotted deer, wild boar, rhesus monkey, fishing cat, monitor lizard, Gangetic dolphin, marine turtles are found here along with the flagship species, the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Sunderban tiger population is supposed to be the largest surviving tiger population in the world. According to a research, it is the homeland of around 270 Royal Bengal Tigers. The Royal Bengal Tigers are the major source of attraction in the Sunderbans Trip.
This came under the Tiger Project in 1973. Later the core area of 1,330 square kilometers was declared as the Sunderban national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The colorful bird life along the waterways includes species such as 9 species of kingfishers, 38 species of raptors, herons, egrets, storks, sandpipers, whimbrels, curlews, gulls, terns, woodpeckers, barbets, shrikes, drongosa, mynahs, minivets, babblers, snake birds and many others. Lucky bird watchers may catch a glimpse of masket finfoot. Besides, different species of snakes, lobsters, numerous varieties of fishes, shrimps and varieties of colorful crabs are also found in the Sunderbans. The Sunderbans has a wide variety of plant life too. Inside the Sundarbans, there are mangrove scrub, salt water mixed forest, littoral forest, brackish water forest and swamp forest. The large floral population in the Sunderbans includes trees like Sundari, Hetal, Dhundal, Genwa, Garjan, Passur and Kankara. Sundari and Gewa occur prominently throughout the area with infrequent distribution of Dhundal and Kankra. In addition to these, the tall and wide Goran trees cover a large part of the Sunderbans. Interestingly, more than half of the 50 broad mangrove categories are found in the in this eco-region. Sunderban is a paradise for nature lovers, as it is blessed with very rich and interesting variety of flora and fauna and is one of the biggest assets of India. The beauty of flora and fauna of mangrove ecosystem is a delight to the tourists visiting the Sunderbans.