The sheepshead seabream has two types of jaw teeth that help it capture and eat its prey. It pries shellfish and crustaceans off mangrove roots with its long, pointed front teeth, and then crunches through their shells with its wide, flat back teeth.

Mangrove seedlings grow up to two feet in their first year. Roots arch from the trunks and drop from branches to anchor the tree. Within 10 years, a single seedling can give rise to an entire thicket.

As these "pioneers" build a foothold in the sea, mud collects around their tangled roots, and shallow mudflats build up around them. Thus mangroves not only stabilize shorelines but can also reclaim areas wiped clean by hurricanes.

Tree of Life
The mangrove's unique ability to put down roots at the ocean's edge enables hundreds of other species to live there as well. Without mangroves, the whole system would collapse.

Filter feeders such as oysters, sponges and tunicates crowd the roots, where they can filter water without getting clogged by sediment.

Crabs, snails and other deposit feeders feed on the mud around the roots, and clams burrow below.