Editing Andaman and Nicobar Islands (section)

=== Flora and fauna ===
{{further|List of endemic birds of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands}}
[[File:Havelock_Island,_Canopy_of_tropical_moist_evergreen_forest,_Andaman_Islands.jpg|thumb|Tropical [[evergreen forests]] in the interior of the islands]]
The islands have [[mangrove]]s interspersed with marshes, [[coconut tree]]s or dispersed bushy vegetation along the coast.<ref name="Topo">{{cite report |title=Maricultural potential Andaman and Nicobar |url=http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/809/1/Bulletin_No_34.pdf |publisher=[[Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute]] |year=1983 |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> There are twelve types of forests that occur in the islands including [[evergreen forest|evergreen]], [[deciduous forest|deciduous]], mangrove, [[littoral]], [[bamboo]], [[Montane ecosystems|sub-montane]] and [[brackish water]] forests.<ref name="UT1">{{cite web |url=http://www.and.nic.in/andaman/flora.php |title=Flora and Fauna |publisher=[[Government of India]] |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> [[North Andaman]] is characterised by wet evergreen forests with [[climbing plants]], [[Middle Andaman]] has moist deciduous forests and [[South Andaman]] islands have [[epiphytic]] vegetation, mostly [[ferns]] and [[orchids]].<ref name="UT1"/> The North Nicobar islands are mostly barren with [[grasslands]] while evergreen forests form the dominant vegetation in the central and southern islands of the Nicobar group.<ref name="UT1"/> The forest coverage is estimated to be 86.2% of the total land area with about 2,200 varieties of plants of which 200 are endemic and 1,300 do not occur in mainland India.<ref name="UT1"/> There are more than 200 species used for timber.<ref name="UT1"/>

[[File:Elephant at Andaman and Nicobar Islands.jpg|thumb|[[Indian elephant]]s were introduced in the 19th century to move timber]]

There are more than 8300 species of fauna of which 1117 are endemic to the islands.<ref name="Fauna">{{cite report |url=https://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/spb/057/index.pdf |title=Endemic Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Bay of Bengal |publisher=[[Zoological Survey of India]] |access-date=1 December 2023 |year=2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rao |first1=Kailash Chandra |last2=Devi |first2=Kamala |year=2013 |title=Endemic Animals of Andaman and Nicobar Islands |isbn=978-81-8171-351-3}}</ref> There are about 64 species of reptiles of which half of them are endemic to the islands.<ref name="Fauna"/> Most of the larger species were introduced by colonists and travellers, some of which became [[endemic]] due to their prolonged isolation. There are about 55 mammal species of which 32 are endemic with 26 species of rats and 14 species of bats, the most among the mammals.<ref name="UT1"/><ref name="Bio"/> The [[endangered species|endangered]] [[Indian elephant]] can be found in forested or mountainous areas of the islands, which were originally introduced from the mainland to help with the timber extraction in 1883.<ref>{{cite web |title=The incredible life of India's iconic swimming elephant |url=https://qz.com/india/749169/the-incredible-life-of-indias-iconic-swimming-elephant/ |access-date=22 June 2020 |date=4 August 2016 |work=qz.com |first=Maria |last=Thomas |archive-date=22 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622170915/https://qz.com/india/749169/the-incredible-life-of-indias-iconic-swimming-elephant/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Endangered and critically endangered species endemic to the islands include the [[Andaman White-toothed Shrew|Andaman white-toothed shrew]], [[Andaman Spiny Shrew|Andaman spiny shrew]], [[Jenkin's Shrew|Jenkin's shrew]], [[Nicobar shrew|Nicobar spiny shrew]], [[Nicobar Tree Shrew|Nicobar tree shrew]], [[Miller's Nicobar rat]], [[Palm rat]], [[Andaman teal]], [[Nicobar scops owl]], [[Andaman boobook]] and [[Minervarya charlesdarwini|Darwin's eastern frog]].<ref name="Fauna"/> Other large fauna include [[Wild boar]], [[Spotted deer]], [[Barking deer]] and [[Sambar deer]].<ref name="UT1"/>

[[File:Nicobar Pigeon 820.jpg|thumb|[[Nicobar pigeon]], the closest living relative to the extinct [[Dodo]]]]

There are about 270 species of birds in the islands of which 90 are endemic.<ref name="Fauna"/> The islands' [[caves]] are nesting grounds for the [[Edible-nest swiftlet]], whose nests are prized for [[bird's nest soup]].<ref>{{cite report |first=R. |last=Sankaran |year=1999 |url=http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_birds8.pdf |title=The impact of nest collection on the Edible-nest Swiftlet in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands |access-date=4 July 2010 |publisher=Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History |location=Coimbatore}}</ref> The islands serve as an intermediate resting site for birds such as [[Horsfield's bronze cuckoo]], [[Zappey's flycatcher]] and [[Javan pond heron]] during long distance [[Bird migration|migration]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Singh |first=Shiv Sahay |date=21 April 2019 |title=In a first, east Asian birds make Andaman stopover |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/in-a-first-east-asian-birds-make-andaman-stopover/article26905336.ece |access-date=7 March 2021 |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=7 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107235922/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/in-a-first-east-asian-birds-make-andaman-stopover/article26905336.ece |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Nicobar pigeon]] found in the islands is the closest living relative to the extinct [[Dodo]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1126/science.295.5560.1683 |last1=Shapiro |first1=B. |last2=Sibthorpe |first2=D. |last3=Rambaut |first3=A. |last4=Austin |first4=J. |last5=Wragg |first5=G. M. |last6=Bininda-Emonds |first6=O. R. P. |last7=Lee |first7=P. L. M. |last8=Cooper |first8=A. |date=2002 |title=Flight of the Dodo |journal=Science |volume=295 |issue=5560 |pages=1683 |pmid=11872833 |url=http://pgl.soe.ucsc.edu/dodo_Shapiro02.pdf}}</ref> The territory is home for about 896 species of winged insects including 225 [[butterfly|butterflies]] species.<ref name="Fauna"/><ref name="UT1"/>

There are more than 1350 species of [[echinoderm]]s and [[mollusc]]s and 200 species of [[coral]]s in the seas surrounding the islands.<ref name="Bio"/> Larger marine species include [[salt water crocodile]]s, [[dugong]]s, turtles, dolphins and whales.<ref name="Bio"/> There are more than 1350 species of [[fishes]] including 13 [[fresh water]] species.<ref name="Fauna"/> The islands are well known for prized [[shellfish]], the commercial exploitation of which began in the early 20th century.<ref name="UT1"/> There are about nine [[national park]]s, 96 [[wildlife sanctuaries]] and one [[biosphere reserve]] in the islands.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wiienvis.nic.in/Database/Andaman_Nicobar_Islands_7843.aspx |title=Andaman and Nicobar Islands |publisher=ENVIS, [[Government of India]] |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="Bio">{{cite report |url=https://www.andamantourism.gov.in/admin-pannel/docfile/46-biodiversity.pdf |title=Biodiversity of Andaman and Nicobar |publisher=[[Government of India]] |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" style="font-size: 85%"
|+Official symbols of Andaman and Nicobar<ref name="Symbol">{{cite web |url=https://wiienvis.nic.in/KidsCentre/state_symbols_india_8411.aspx |title=State Symbols of India |publisher=Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India |access-date=30 August 2023}}</ref>
|-
|Animal
|[[Dugong]] (''Dugong dugon'')
|[[File:Dugong.JPG|75px]]
|-
|Bird
|[[Andaman wood pigeon]] (''Columba palumboides'')
|[[File:IanthoenasColumboidesSmit.jpg|75px]]
|-
|Tree
|[[Andaman padauk]] (''Pterocarpus dalbergioides'')
|[[File:Andeman padauk 05.jpg|75px]]
|-
|Flower
|[[Lagerstroemia|Pyinma]] (''Lagerstroemia hypoleuca'')
|[[File:Lagerstroemia indica Blanco1.207.png|75px]]
|}