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Making up a part of the largest mangrove forest on the planet, the Sunderban National Park in West Bengal is a natural marvel and also the only natural habitat for the Royal Bengal Tigers. This swampland is a delta at the mouth of the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra.
These two great Indian rivers spill into the Bay of Bengal leaving behind an estuary in their wake. The delta atop which the Sunderban National Park in West Bengal is positioned is a labyrinthine maze of mangrove, forests, islands, swamp, rivers and rivulets. The total area occupied by the park is a good 1330.10 Sq Km spread centrally across this marshy land. The complete mangrove extends its reach into the neighboring country of Bangladesh.
The Indian side is said to be home to around 200 Royal Bengal Tigers, who are well adapted to their habitat; so much so that they can almost be called amphibious!
The Sunderban National Park in West Bengal is so named after the ‘Sundari’ trees that blanket the area. There are, however, other trees in the Sunderban National Park in West Bengal like the Genwa, Dhundal, Passur, Garjan, Kankra and Goran in the area. The other fauna to be seen in this estuary, aside of the tigers, are the estuarine crocodiles, the Ridley Sea Turtle, snakes like pythons and cobras; lizards, monitors, and numerous species of birds, most of which are migratory in nature.
So the best time to visit the Sunderban National Park in West Bengal, if you want to catch on the avian fauna, is between the months of September and March. The total number of islands that fall within the purview of the Sunderban National Park in West Bengal is 54.
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