The Andaman Islands are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in the northeastern Indian Ocean about 130 km (81 mi) southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Andaman Sea to the east. Most of the islands are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India, while the Coco Islands and Preparis Island are part of the Yangon Region of Myanmar.
Elasmobranchii is a subclass of Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fish, including modern sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish. Members of this subclass are characterised by having five to seven pairs of gill clefts opening individually to the exterior, rigid dorsal fins and small placoid scales on the skin. The teeth are in several series; the upper jaw is not fused to the cranium, and the lower jaw is articulated with the upper. The details of this jaw anatomy vary between species, and help distinguish the different elasmobranch clades. The pelvic fins in males are modified to create claspers for the transfer of sperm. There is no swim bladder; instead, these fish maintain buoyancy with large livers rich in oil.
The nonsense rat, Nicobar Archipelago rat or Miller's Nicobar rat is endemic to the Nicobar Islands in India. It lives on Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar, and Trinket islands. On Car Nicobar Island, Rattus palmarum and Rattus anadamanensis live instead.
Narcondam, India's easternmost island, is a small volcanic island located in the northern Andaman Sea. The island's peak rises to 710 m above mean sea level, and it is formed of andesite. It is part of the Andaman Islands, the main body of which lie approximately 74 km (46 mi) to the west.The island is part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The island is small, covering an area of approximately 7.6 square kilometres. It was classified as a dormant volcano by the Geological Survey of India.
Centrophorus is a genus of squaliform sharks. These deep-water sharks, found in temperate and tropical oceans throughout the world, are characterized by grey or brown bodies, large green eyes, and spines on both dorsal fins. These spines give them their name, from Greek κεντρον, kentron meaning "thorn" and φέρειν, pherein meaning "to bear".
The dumb gulper shark is a rare and endangered deepwater dogfish, found along the east coast of Australia and in isolated spots north and west of New Zealand. It is also known as the dumb shark, Harrison's deep-sea dogfish, or Harrison's dogfish.
The lowfin gulper shark is a large deepwater dogfish in the family Centrophoridae.
The smallfin gulper shark or endeavour dogfish, is a medium-sized deepwater dogfish in the family Centrophoridae.
The leafscale gulper shark is a dogfish of the family Centrophoridae. C. squamosus is reported to have a lifespan of approximately 70 years, based on otolith ring counts. It was the first described species in the genus Centrophorus, which now contains 13 species.
The mosaic gulper shark is a small rare deepwater dogfish, found in the Pacific Ocean around Honshū, Japan and the Hawaiian Islands at depths between 260 and 728 m. It is one of 13 described species in the genus Centrophorus.
The little gulper shark is a small, deepwater dogfish of the family Centrophoridae.
The gulper shark is a long and slender dogfish usually about three feet in length generally found in deep, murky waters all around the world. It is a light grayish brown, paler ventrally, with a long snout and large greenish eyes. This deep water shark has two dorsal fins with long, grooved spines and the second dorsal fin smaller than the first. Its upper teeth are blade-like and lower have finely serrated edges. This tertiary consumer feeds on mainly fish such as bony fish, but also cephalopods such as squid and other invertebrates like crustaceans. The gulper shark is currently an endangered species mainly because of exploitation by humans and their abnormally long gestation period and low fecundity, preventing their population from recovering. Because of the depth of their habitat, they are considered little to no threat to humans.
Bungarus andamanensis, the South Andaman krait, is a species of krait, a venomous elapid snake, which is found in the Andaman Islands of India.
The blackfin gulper shark is a dogfish of the family Centrophoridae in the Northwest Pacific.
The rasptooth dogfish is a dogfish, found on the Kyushu–Palau Ridge in the northwest Pacific Ocean at depths of 360 m. Its maximum length is unknown. This species was originally described as Centroscyllium sheikoi, and subsequently allocated to the newly named genus Miroscyllium based on anatomical features not shared with other Centroscyllium. More recent molecular data suggest this species belongs to the genus Etmopterus, but as of June 2014 Miroscyllium sheikoi remains the valid name recognized by FishBase, the Catalog of Fishes World Register of Marine Species, and the IUCN
The Portuguese dogfish or Portuguese shark, is a species of sleeper shark of the family Somniosidae. This globally distributed species has been reported down to a depth of 3,675 m (12,057 ft), making it the deepest-living shark known. It inhabits lower continental slopes and abyssal plains, usually staying near the bottom. Stocky and dark brown in color, the Portuguese dogfish can be distinguished from similar-looking species by the small spines in front of its dorsal fins. Its dermal denticles are also unusual, resembling the scales of a bony fish. This species typically reaches 0.9–1 m (3.0–3.3 ft) in length; sharks in the Mediterranean Sea are much smaller and have distinct depth and food preferences.
The Andaman serpent eagle, also known as the Andaman dark-serpent eagle or the dark serpent eagle, is a medium-sized bird in the family Accipitridae, the raptor family, that is only found in India on the Andaman Islands. It is currently classified as vulnerable and is experiencing population declines. This species, unlike the Crested serpent eagle, is incredibly understudied and so many things about its behaviour and ecology are still widely unknown.
Chaetodon andamanensis, commonly known as the Andaman butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the Indian Ocean.
Phoxocampus tetrophthalmus, the trunk-barred pipefish, is a species of marine fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae. This species can be found in reefs and tide pools of the Indo-Pacific specifically Indonesia, the Philippines, and Guam. They have also been observed in the Andaman, Cocos-Keeling, and Ryukyu islands. Their diet likely consists of small crustaceans Reproduction occurs through ovoviviparity in which the males brood eggs before giving live birth.
