Most trees die instantly in salty water - the salt sucks the moisture right out of them. But mangroves have figured out how to live in tropical mudflats where the ocean rolls in twice a day. They’re the only trees on Earth that can handle a full saltwater diet.
Mangroves have three superpowers. Some species filter out 90% of salt at the roots before water even enters the tree. Others let salt in and then pump it back out through special glands on their leaves - you can actually see the salt crystals sparkling. Their tangled stilt-roots also stick up like snorkels to breathe air at low tide.
This makes mangrove forests one of the planet’s best coastal defences. Their dense root jungles slow waves, anchor mud, and shelter young fish. Coasts with healthy mangroves lose far fewer lives in storms and tsunamis.
