Nature is the first environment that God created as a place to live for living things. Before living things, especially humans, know the various kinds of technology and the progress of the times in making shelter or residence, nature first becomes a home. Even animals and plants will forever live in the open. There are so many natural features in the world that are home to various species of animals and plants, for example, various types of sea, various lakes, mountains, and forests. Because animals and plants have their own characteristics, their habitat is different. Animals and plants in the sea will not be the same as animals and plants on the mountain and so on. One place on Earth that is home to various flora and fauna is the forest.
Forest is a place where there are many trees which consist of one type or various types. Forests are home to many animals because forests are a source of food. There are many types of forests and almost all have unique flora and fauna. One type of forest is mangrove forest. On this occasion, we will discuss various types of flora and fauna in mangrove forests.
Flora and Fauna in Mangrove Forests
Mangrove forest is a type of forest that is mostly located in coastal ecosystems, namely a group of mangrove trees that have a root breath to resist the rate of ocean waves. The function of this mangrove forest is to protect the coast from coastal erosion, namely erosion caused by sea waves. Aside from being an abrasion barrier, mangrove forests have many other functions, one of which is home to various flora and fauna. The flora and fauna that live in the mangrove forest are of various kinds, some of which will be mentioned below.
- Flora
Flora is another name for plants. Of course, many florae spread throughout the surface area of the Earth, especially in the forest. The flora in the mangrove forest is certainly there, namely mangroves. But other mangroves are also found in other plants such as:
- Ketapang
- Nyamplung
- Acacia
- Nipah
- Asem Tree
- Lamtoro
These are some of the flora species that we can find in mangrove forests. Furthermore, besides finding flora, we must also find fauna or animals.
- Fauna
Forests are indeed a suitable place to house various types of animals. However, the different characteristics of the forest cause different animals to be harbored. The following are the types of fauna or animals in the mangrove forest:
- Crab Game
This crab is also called a violin player crab because the movement of the claws is similar to that of a person when playing the violin. These crabs are around 80 species throughout the world that have beautiful colors.
- Orange Crab
These crabs use both large claws to catch food on a smooth mangrove substrate. These crabs eat small benthic worms. The residence of these fish is under the roots and subtle mangrove substrate.
- Climber Purple Crab
These crabs often climb the roots of mangroves in order to avoid tidal seawater and also as an effort to protect themselves from predators.
- Semaphore Crab
Why is it called Semaphore Crab? Because these crabs often lower their claws like people who play the semaphore code. Actually, the crab’s intention to bring down its claws is to mark its territory.
- Mangrove Hermit Crabs
This is a type of animal that can live on land and in water. The mangrove hermit crabs are easily identified by the color of their legs, which are blue stripes. This hermit crab has a change of skin and after that, the body will grow bigger and the shell will become narrower. After that, this animal will take off its shell and look for a new shell on the coast.
- Land Crabs
Land crabs are also the same as mangrove hermit crabs, the difference is that these hermit crabs are Anomura crabs that have three pairs of legs born without shells. Along with the development of the hermit crab’s body, it will also release its increasingly narrow shell and look for a new shell.
- Gun Shrimp
It is called the gun shrimp because the sound of the claw resembles the sound of a gun being fired. These animals include all eating animals. Its large-cap is used as a tool holder and food cutter.
- Gelodok Fish
Gelodok fish is a type of mudfish that leaps between mangrove roots. This fish has protruding eyes that function optimally to see prey from afar. These fish can live in two realms, namely in the water and also mangrove mud.
Now those are the variety of flora and fauna that grows or lives in the mangrove forest.