page_title: Andaman Sea
section_title: Fauna
hierarchical_section_title: Andaman Sea / Fauna
caption_attribution_description: Phantom Bannerfish - Heniochus pleurotaenia, Thailand - Similan Islands
context_page_description: The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal. It is south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India. It is part of the Indian Ocean.
  The sea has been used for fishery and transportation of goods between the coastal countries. Its coral reefs and islands are popular for tourism. Many building were badly damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
  The average depth of the sea is about 1,000 meters. The northern and eastern parts are shallower than 180 meters due to the silt deposited by the Irrawaddy River. This major river flows into the sea from the north through Burma. The western and central areas are 900–3,000 meters deep. Less than 5% of the sea is deeper than 3,000 meters. In a system of submarine valleys east of the Andaman-Nicobar Ridge, the depth is more than 4,000 meters. The sea floor is covered with pebbles, gravel and sand.
context_section_description: The sea waters along the Malay Peninsula favor molluscan growth. There are about 280 edible fish species belonging to 75 families. Of those, 232 species (69 families) are found in mangroves and 149 species (51 families) live in seagrass. 101 species are common to both places. The sea also has many vulnerable fauna species, including dugong, several dolphin species, such as Irrawaddy Dolphin and four species of sea turtles: critically endangered leatherback turtle and hawksbill turtle and threatened green turtle and Olive Ridley turtle. There are only about 150 dugongs in the Andaman Sea, scattered between Ranong and Satun provinces.
caption: Phantom bannerfish (Heniochus pleurotaenia), Similan Islands, Thailand
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