Caves Beneath our feet lies a world which has not yet been completely explored.

There are thousands of miles of caves and passages which contain rare and unique creatures and rock formations. Water plays an important role in the creation of caves as the water flowing from the surface to the lower levels of the earth absorbs carbon dioxide making the water slightly acidic and over the years the acid eats the limestone creating a maze of caves and passages. The underground world is made possible because of the limestone rock. Most of the caves are found within this rock and it covers nearly 10 percent of the earths surface.The sheer size of the caves makes it hard to believe as the Cave of Swallows in Mexico which goes to 400 meters to the bottom can engulf the Empire State Building and is regarded as the biggest cave shaft in the world. The Deer cave in Borneo is the biggest underground river passage in the world and it is so huge that a big jumbo jet could fly through it. Water does not only erode but also helps in building. The flowing water loaded with dissolved limestone turns into a mineral - Calcite; when it comes in contact with air. Calcite creates decorations and the ones hanging from the ceiling are known as stalactites and the ones building up on the ground are known as stalagmites.Not all caves have pools of fresh water as the water flowing out of the Villa Luz cave in Mexico is actually colored white with sulphuric acid. The source of the acid is the hydrogen sulphide gas bubbling from the oil deposits which mixes with oxygen and water forming sulphuric acid. Without water one might expect but beneath the desert in US is one of the deepest and longest caves in the world. But the Lechuguilla caves have been formed by sulphuric acid cutting through the limestone and the when the acid dissolves the limestone, it leaves behind gypsum the basis of the caves unique and remarkable formations. Caves are the homes to some of the planets strangest and least known animals. These animals have learnt to cope with complete darkness and use it to their advantage. The glow worm has a unique way of hunting and that is by displaying a unique display of light. The animals get attracted to the light and get trapped in the glow worms threads. Finding a reliable and regular source of food is the problem in caves hence in the Deer Caves of Borneo, the food chain is dependent on the bat droppings. To navigate the dark and narrow passages, the bats and the cave swiftlets use echolocation which is the usage of sound waves. The creatures living in the caves have adapted to live in low oxygen conditions such as the remiped. The demoiselle fish use the sea caves to protect themselves from predators. The sea caves were formed by the pounding of the waves rather than erosion by flowing water. The snakes in the Poor Knight Island caves hunt in the dark through sensing the body heat of its prey. All these cave dwellers had to change their methods of hunting to adapt to the darkness. Certain creatures live in such isolation that they were not discovered until recently and are very strange. The troglodytes are those animals that never emerge from the caves or see daylight. These animals have lost their sense of sight but have developed their other sensory organs such as the blind salamander which has receptors in its skin to detect movements and external gills to breathe in water that is low on oxygen. The troglodytes feed on whatever washes into the caves from outside. Although the Villa Luz cave inhospitable due to the acid levels but cave fish known as mollies thrive despite the conditions. Bacteria are also known to exist in such harsh conditions and are known to support the food chain in those caves. The bacteria in the Lechuguilla were found to be feeding on the rock itself. This shows that life can exist without drawing energy from the sun and how difficult life can be underground.

MCQ 1. The biggest cave shaft in the world is? a. Deer Cave b. Knight islands cave c. Lechuguilla d. Cave of Swallows* 2. The calcite formation from the roof is known as? a. Stalactites* b. Stalagmites c. Guano d. Snotites 3. The calcite formation from the ground is known as? a. Stalagmites* b. Guano c. Snotites d. Troglodytes 4. The gigantic fresh water wells are known as? a. Squeezes b. Swiftlets c. Cenotes* d. Snotites 5. Bacteria that survive in extreme conditions are known as? a. Lechuguilla b. Extremofile* c. Salamander d. Demoiselle 6. The underground world is possible due to which rock? a. Stalactites b. Stalagmites c. Sedimentary d. Limestone* 7. Which cave is regarded as the most beautiful of all caves? a. Deer Cave b. Cave of Swallows c. Villa Luz d. Lechuguilla* 8. The method of using loud clicking sound to navigate caves by bats and birds is called? a. GPS b. Echolocation* c. Radar d. Circumnavigation

9. The biggest underground river passage in the world is? a. Deer Cave* b. Villa Luz c. Carlsbad Cavern d. Knight Island caves 10. Animals that never emerge from the caves or see daylight are called? a. Snotites b. Troglodytes* c. Wrinkle-lipped bats d. Glow Worm