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The
park
includes estuaries, mudflats,
beaches and forests of
the
near
shore
environment.
It
also
includes
marine
components
such
as coral
reefs, seaweed
communities, sea
grasses, salt
marshes and mangroves. Seaweed
photo
gallery
Mangroves
dominate
the
intertidal
zones
of
the
park
islands.
They
consist
of
species
of
the
genera Rhizophora,
Avicennia, Bruguiera, Ceriops and Lumnitzera.Mangroves: photo
gallery.
The
introduced
tree
genus Prosopis is
dominant
on
land
in
all
the
islands.
The
flowering
herb Pemphis
acidula (family Lythraceae)
is
the
only
endemic
plant
species.12
species
of
sea
grass
and
147
species
of
seaweeds
were
recorded.
This
vegetation
provides
important
feeding
grounds
for
the vulnerable marine
mammal,
the Dugong,endangered Green
turtles and vulnerable
Olive
Ridley
turtles.[9] Sea
grasses: photo
gallery
The Gulf
of
Mannar
Marine
National
Park is
a protected
area
of
India consisting
of
21
small
islands
(islets)
and
adjacent coral
reefs in
the Gulf
of
Mannar in
the Indian
Ocean.
It
lies
1
to
10 km
away
from
the
east
coast
of Tamil
Nadu,
India
for
160 km
between Thoothukudi (Tuticorin)
and Dhanushkodi.
It
is
the
core
area
of
the Gulf
of
Mannar
Biosphere
Reserve which
includes
a
10 km
buffer
zone
around
the
park,
including
the
populated
coastal
area.The
park
has
a
high diversity of
plants
and
animals
in
its marine, intertidal and
near shore habitats.
Public
access
inside
the
Park
is
limited
to
glass
bottom
boat
rides.The
560 km2
(220 sq mi)
park
is
part
of
the
140 km
long
and
25 km
wide
Mannar barrier
reef.
It
lies
between
8°
47’
to
9°
15’
N
latitude
and
78°
12’
to
79°
14’
E
longitude.
The
21
islands
vary
from
0.25
ha
(.6
acre)
to
130
ha.
(321.2
acres).
Total
area
of
the
islands
is
6.23 km2
(2.41 sq mi)Its
surrounding
shallow
waters
harbour
three
species
of
seagrass
that
are
found
nowhere
else
in
India.
Representatives
of
every
animal
phylum
known
(except
amphibians)
are
found
on
this
island.Dugong,
a vulnerable marine
mammal is
the
flagship
mammal
of
the
park.
It
is
an
important
habitat
for
the Cetaceans: Indo-Pacific
bottlenose
dolphin, Finless
porpoise, Spinner
dolphin,Common
dolphin,Risso's
dolphin,
Melon-headed
whale,
and Dwarf
sperm
whale.Larger
whales
include Sperm
whale,Minke
whale, Bryde's
whale,Sei
whale,and
critically
endangered
species
including Humpback
whale, Fin
whale
and Blue
whale.About
510
(23%)
of
the
2,200
fin
fish
species
in
Indian
waters
are
found
in
the
Gulf,
making
it
the
most
highly
diverse
fish
habitat
in
India.
Coral
associated
ornamental
fishes
of
the
family
Chaetodontidae
(butterfly
fish),
parrotfish, Amphiprion spp.
(clown
fish), Holocentrus spp.
(squirrel
fish), Scarus spp.
(parrot
fish), Lutjanus spp.
(snappers)
and Abudefduf
saxatilis (sergeant
major)
are
abundant.Four
species
each
of shrimp and lobster,
106
species
of crab,
17
species
of sea
cucumber,
and
466
species
of mollusc including
271 gastropods,
174 bivalves,
5 polyplacophorans,
16 cephalopods and
5 scaphopods,108
species
of sponge,
and
100
species
of echinoderm
occur
in
the
Gulf.The
coral
fauna
includes
106
species
from
30
genus
of hermatypes and
11
species
from
10
genus
of ahermatypes,
including
13
new
species,
giving
a
total
of
117
species
from
14
families
and
40
genus.
The
reefs
in
this
area
are
narrow fringing
reefs located
150
to
300
m.
from
the
shore
of
the
islands
and patch
reefs rising
up
from
depths
of
2
to
9
m.
and
extending
up
to
2 km.
long
and
50
m.
wide.
Large
areas
of
these
reefs
are
in
generally
poor
condition
due
to
destructive
human
activities
of
the
150,000
persons
living
along
the
coast.
Nutrient
and
other
pollution
loads
are
high
due
to
agriculture,
deforestation,
industry,
urbanization
and
septic
pollution.
It
appears
that
the
Coral
reefs
of
the
Gulf
of
Mannar
Marine
National
Park
seem
to
be
healthy
and
in
good
condition,
despite
high
rates
of
sedimentation
and
other
threats.
However,
live
coral
cover
is
only
about
35%.
Various
algae
cover
much
of
the
dead
coral.The Gulf
of
Mannar
Marine
National
Park is
a protect
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