Yemen has coastlines on the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. These mostly have shallow fringing reefs where corals proliferate and a diverse invertebrate fauna. These reefs provide a spawning ground and a protective environment for the young of many species of fish. Marine mammals including whales and dolphins are found here, as are sharks and many species of fish. Sea birds proliferate along the coastline. The island of Socotra and its archipelago are also part of Yemen, about east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. These islands have a unique flora and are fringed by coral reefs. Some seven hundred species of plant and animal are endemic to the Socotra island group.