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The Coastal Naturalist

A science-grounded voice explaining the ecology, marine biology, and natural systems of the Andaman coast

46 articles

Articles by The Coastal Naturalist

Khao Lak's Bamboo Shark Nursery: How Tiny Carpet Sharks Are Rebuilding Andaman Reefs

Khao Lak's Bamboo Shark Nursery: How Tiny Carpet Sharks Are Rebuilding Andaman Reefs

A small, beautifully banded carpet shark is quietly rebuilding coral reefs off Khao Lak. Since 2018, a local nursery has...

The Rainbow With No Paint: How Pearl Oysters Build Iridescent Color From Pure Crystal

The Rainbow With No Paint: How Pearl Oysters Build Iridescent Color From Pure Crystal

Every shimmering pink-green-blue hue on a mother-of-pearl shell contains zero pigment. The entire rainbow is created by...

The Hidden Ally Inside Every Fish: How Gut Microbes Are Quietly Shaping the Ocean

The Hidden Ally Inside Every Fish: How Gut Microbes Are Quietly Shaping the Ocean

Scientists have discovered that bacteria living inside fish guts may be working alongside their hosts to produce calcium...

Thirty-One New Ocean Species in Two Weeks: Meet the Tools Rewriting Deep-Sea Science

Thirty-One New Ocean Species in Two Weeks: Meet the Tools Rewriting Deep-Sea Science

A single expedition off Brazil discovered more than thirty species never seen before — in just fourteen days. The secret...

The Forest That Refused to Disappear: Mangroves Are Coming Back Worldwide

The Forest That Refused to Disappear: Mangroves Are Coming Back Worldwide

A landmark June 2026 study in the journal Science confirms what Andaman coast communities already knew: mangrove forests...

1,121 New Species in One Year: From Ghost Sharks to Glass Castles, the Ocean Is Full of Surprises

1,121 New Species in One Year: From Ghost Sharks to Glass Castles, the Ocean Is Full of Surprises

The Ocean Census has just announced the discovery of 1,121 previously unknown marine species — including a prehistoric g...

Where the Seagrass Survives: Dugongs Follow Their Food to Phang Nga

Where the Seagrass Survives: Dugongs Follow Their Food to Phang Nga

As southern Thailand's seagrass meadows decline, dugongs are migrating northward to Phang Nga and Phuket — where an 800,...

Mae Namo comes ashore: a leatherback's sixth nest signals a quiet recovery on the Phang Nga coast

Mae Namo comes ashore: a leatherback's sixth nest signals a quiet recovery on the Phang Nga coast

On a June night in Phang Nga, a leatherback sea turtle nicknamed Mae Namo laid her sixth nest of the 2026 season — 123 e...

Roots in the Mud: Phang Nga Plants 3,000 Mangroves at Takua Pa

Roots in the Mud: Phang Nga Plants 3,000 Mangroves at Takua Pa

On June 8, 2026, three thousand mangrove seedlings went into the tidal mud at Takua Pa — a small act with consequences t...

The Architecture of a Shell: How Mollusks Build Spirals on the Andaman Coast

The Architecture of a Shell: How Mollusks Build Spirals on the Andaman Coast

A nautilus shell is a mathematical equation made physical. Hermit crabs, oysters, and snails engineer protective archite...