The Mangrove Labyrinth.

At the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers lies the Sundarbans—the largest contiguous halophytic mangrove forest on Earth.

This is a landscape of flux. Every day, the tides of the Bay of Bengal push saltwater deep into the delta, meeting the freshwater surging from the Himalayas. This creates a high-salinity environment where only specialized vegetation like the Sundari tree (Heritiera fomes) can thrive.

Pneumatophores: Breathing Roots

In the oxygen-poor, waterlogged mud of the Sundarbans, roots cannot breathe underground. Mangroves have evolved pneumatophores—vertical roots that grow upward out of the mud like snorkels, allowing the tree to absorb oxygen directly from the air during low tide.

The Apex of the Swamp

The Sundarbans is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by a large population of Bengal Tigers. Here, the tigers have become semi-aquatic; they are proficient swimmers, crossing wide river channels to hunt in an environment that is as much water as it is land.