Mangrove forest

In tropical and subtropical latitudes, mangrove forests occur along sandy and silty coasts. Mangroves are trees with odd roots, some of which curve upward like snorkels to attain oxygen lacking in the mud, and some of which curve downward, serving as silts to support the tree in changing water levels. Fish, shelfish, crabs, snakes, and other organisms thrive among the root network, and bird feed and nest in the foliage of these coastal forests. Mangroves protect coastlines; studies after the 2004 South Asian tsunami indicated that coasts with intact mangrove forests suffered less damage than deforested coasts.