How these sea-loving mangroves ended up far from the coast

Warming more than 100,000 years ago raised sea levels and displaced the plants far inland

Fish swimming around roots of red mangrove forest

Fish and other aquatic life in the San Pedro Mártir River on the Yucatán Peninsula find refuge in the submerged roots of a red mangrove forest. The trees are part of a “relict ecosystem” that has existed for more than 100,000 years.

Octavio Aburto

Nearly 200 kilometers from the sea, red mangroves thrive in the rainforests along the San Pedro Mártir River on the Yucatán Peninsula.