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Gebel Elba
Mountains and Wadis of the Eastern Desert
Red Sea Littoral Habitats
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Red Sea Marine Habitats
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Mediterranean Marine  Habitats
 

Mangrove, Avicennia marina, swamps occur at several localities along the coastline of the Red Sea becoming more frequent and extensive, with larger trees the further south they are. The most northerly stand of mangroves in the Red Sea is found about 26km north of Hurghada at el-Gouna. The most extensive stands are found between Bir Shalatin and Halayib, where uninterrupted mangrove forests extend for several kilometers fringing the coastline. South of latitude 23 degrees N another species of Mangrove, Rhizophora mucronata, begins to appear but it never becomes as abundant as Avicennia marina within Egyptian boundaries.
            The mangrove grows as a shrub or small tree to 1-3m high. It is uniquely suited to the severe, saline, oxygen-depleted habitat in which it grows and has evolved several strategies to cope. It is usually surrounded by erect stem-like growths called pneumathodia that arise from the roots and are thought to provide oxygen for them. The seeds germinate while still on the plant and send out embryonic roots, thus avoiding the necessity of germinating in the extremely saline soil and gaining oxygen at the most important time of germination. A third adaptation is the plant's ability to absorb saline water and excrete the salt on the leaves, which become covered with salt crystals.
The mangroves are vital components of the coastal ecosystem and contribute significantly to the health of the environment as well as providing spawning grounds and havens for many commercially important species of fish and crustaceans.
      A number of birds breed in this habitat among them the Striated Heron, Ardeola striata, the Spoonbill, Platylaea leucorodia, Reef Heron, Egretta gularis, and occasionally the Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, although the Osprey more often nests on the ground.
      Other salt marsh vegetation types are not particularly common along the coasts of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez. Those at el-Ain el-Sukhna and the deltas of Wadi el-Gemal and Wadi el-Diib constitute the most significant salt marshes of the Egyptian Red Sea littoral.
      Wadi el-Gemal runs into the Red Sea about 30km south of Mersa Alam. Close to the shore there is a flowing freshwater spring; the water from which has blended with seawater to form a low-salinity marsh covering approximately 500m². Round the spring there is marsh vegetation of reeds, Phragmites australis and Juncus spp. Slightly upstream, Tamarisk trees are abundant together with other salt-tolerant plants such as fleshy-leaved Zygophyllum spp., which form spreading or cushion-like ground cover.
      The Cape Hare, Lepus capensis, and the Lesser Egyptian Gerbil, Gerbillus gerbillus, are both found here as well as Dorcas Gazelle Gazella dorcas. The Semaphore Gecko, Pristurus flavipunctatus, is common in coastal Tamarisk thickets.   However, it does not appear that any animals are specific to this type of habitat
Intertidal zones, where the sea and the shore meet and overlap, form valuable habitats for shoreline creatures and often harbor a fascinating variety of shallow-water life forms. These include animals that are well suited to living both underwater and out of water entirely. Often, at low tide, there are tidal pools in which creatures can survive very well until the tide rises and covers the zone again.
      Some species of crustaceans, such as shrimps and crabs, and other invertebrates  are adapted to this particular lifestyle. Barnacles are among the best adapted of the crustaceans although some species are more tolerant of heat and desiccation than others. The barnacle has been described as "a crustacean, which stands on its head and kicks food into its mouth with its hind legs." Occasionally, a fish gets stranded in a tidal pool and is at risk of becoming easy prey for a hungry sea bird. On stony beaches smaller invertebrates are able to hide under rocks for protection from predators.

 
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Reef Heron, Egretta gularis

In two months this slightly comic chick will be ready to leave the nest and will spend much of its life by the sea. The adult bird sports two long plumes on the head during the breeding season. The Reef Herons are colonial nesters often in Mangroves, which are important to the species. The varied diet includes fish and crustaceans.