SundarbansWildlife Sanctuary West Bengal

sundarbansNational Park is a part of the Sundarban Delta, the largest delta in the world, created by the confluence of three mighty rivers ? the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna in the Bay of Bengal. This Gangetic plain is covered with thick mangrove forests, which is famed to be the largest estuarine mangrove forest in the world. The national park is located in the deltaic region of the state of West Bengal in India. It shares its boundaries with the neighboring country, Bangladesh.

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The Mesmerizing Natural Landscape

The mangrove forests of the sundarbanscover a widespread area of about 10000 sq. km. spanning from the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India to the Baleshwari River in Bangladesh. However, in West Bengal, the forest area spreads over 4260 sq. km. The entire forest area is divided into four sectors, which are completely protected and have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites ? sundarbansNational Park, sundarbansWest, sundarbansEast, and sundarbansSouth Wildlife Sanctuaries. The area of sundarbansforest comprises two eco-regions ? sundarbansFreshwater Swamp Forests and sundarbansMangroves. The vegetation type is moist deciduous or tropical moist. Mother Nature has bestowed all the natural beauty to this wildlife park in the forms of meandering rivers, babbling springs, estuaries, backwaters, creeks, evergreen vegetation, and diverse wildlife.

A Tropical climate prevails in sundarbanswhich ensures that the area experiences hot summers and cold winters. sundarbansreceives an average maximum and minimum temperature of 20 degrees and 48 degrees. The summer season comprises of the period from March to May with a temperature of 30 degrees ? 42 degrees. The winter season extends from the month of November to February with a temperature of 10 degrees ? 35 degrees. Rainfall is heavy during the monsoons, which comprises of the months from June to October and the temperature at this time ranges from 25 degrees ? 30 degrees and the humidity rises about 80% due to its nearness to the Bay of Bengal. Between the months of May and October, the area suffers from storms and cyclones. Due to extremely heavy rainfall during the monsoon, the area often becomes flooded.

The months from September to March are the best time to visit the Sunderbans. December to February is also considered ideal to plan a trip to this park as the temperature remains low and the area remains dry during this time. During the summer, the temperature remains very high and the monsoon brings heavy rainfall in the area making it difficult to explore the park. However, the lush green surroundings of the park during the rainy season make it more attractive and thus, you may plan a visit during the monsoon time to witness that enchanting beauty of the greenery. But, if you want to enjoy touring sundarbansthe most, you should pay a visit during the winters when the weather is very pleasant.

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Wildlife Sanctuaries You Will Find Nearby

The area of sundarbansis divided into core and buffer areas. The national park is the core area and the other wildlife sanctuaries located nearby are - Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary, Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary, and Holiday Island Wildlife Sanctuary.

Like any other national park, you will get to see a wide variety of fauna in this reserve forest. However, the tiger population in this forest is beyond any comparison. This park boasts on its highest number of Bengal tigers which is more than any other wildlife reserve in the world. More than 400 Royal Bengal Tigers are there in the park and approximately 30000 spotted deer can be found. It is needless to say that this wildlife park is extremely rich in the population of avifauna, aquafauna, and reptiles. Many invertebrate species are also here.

Wild animals

The mangrove swamp has numerous crocodiles and other wild animals. The animal species include the following - Chital, Monkeys, Fox, Indian Porpoise, Fox, Wild Boar, Rhesus Macaques, Small Indian Civets, Common Otter, Black Finless Porpoise, etc. Many endangered animal species have made this bio-reserve their home, such as ? King Crabs, Batagur Baska, Olive Ridley, aquatic mammals like Irrawaddy, Gangetic Dolphins, Hawks Bill Turtle, River Terrapin, Mangrove Horseshoe Crab, etc. Varieties of freshwater turtles can also be found here.

Birds

More than 210 species of birds are here and the long list includes - Open Billed Stork, Wild Ibis, Heron, Pelican, Siberian Ducks, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Short Toed Eagle, Sandpipers, Spoonbills, Green Shanks, Caspian Terns, Brown Fish Owl, Whimbrels, Stilts, Thick Knees, Curlew, Shikara, Osprey, Brahmini Kites, Common Kingfishers, Cuckoos, Geese, Crested Serpent Eagles, Sunbirds, Green Pigeons, Seagulls, Egrets, Cormorants, etc. One can get a fine glimpse of various migratory birds in the Sajnekhali area, notable for its bird population

Inhabitants of water

Aquatic animals of many endangered species are found in the rivers of sundarbans- varieties of sharks like Ganges Sharks, Hammer Headed Sharks, Pondicherry Sharks, Indian Dog Sharks, Bull Sharks, Black Tip Sharks, etc. Fishes found in sundarbansare famous all over the country ? Hilsa, Bhetki, Parshey, Pomphret, Topshey, Gurjali, Tiger Prawns, and many more varieties.
Other aquatic animals include ? Silver Carp, Star Fish, Butter Fish, Skipping Frogs, Tree Frogs, etc.

Reptiles

57 species of snakes can be spotted here, which include King Cobra, Common Cobra, Indian Python, Russel?s Viper, Common Krait, Green Whip Snake, Rat Snake, Chequered Keelback, Giant Lizards, Water Monitor Lizards, Salt-Water Crocodiles, etc.

The Flourishing Flora

About 78 varieties of mangroves are found in this park and to name a few are Sundari, Goran, Gewa, Garjan, Passur, Kankra, Dhundul, Keora, and many more. Grasses like Speargrass and Khagra spread over a large area inside the forest. 1586 species of other plants can be found here, which is a huge number.