Nature
DIFFERENT
TYPES:
Caves come in many different forms, but
there are four main ones:- SOLUTIONAL CAVES These are formed in limestone/
gypsum/dolomite when acidic water seeps down and
dissolves rock. Cracks form and enlarge, forming the
cave. This is the most common type of cave. - LAVA/PRIMARY CAVES These caves form at the same
time as the rocks surrounding them. Volcanic activity forces
lava into tubes and, when it solidifies, it leaves a hollow. - SEA CAVES Formed along coastlines both above
and below the water by the motion and force of waves
and currents. - GLACIER CAVES These are formed when
melting ice and flowing water inside
and underneath glaciers
form cavities.
Back in the 1600s a cave in
Slovenia was flooded and a
whole host of strange,
previously unseen creatures
were washed out. Among
them was a small, snake-like,
colourless creature with a flat
head. The people who found
them thought they were baby
dragons and this led to stories
in the region that people still
talk about to this day!TRAPPED!
Going into a cave is a risky business.
Rock falls, flooding, getting lost... many things
could go wrong. Take, for instance, the story that
dominated headlines last year. When 12 Thai boys, aged
between eight and 12, finished soccer practice, they decided to
explore the nearby Tham Luang cave network with their coach.
Unfortunately for them, a heavy downpour came while they were
inside, and they became trapped. The world waited with bated breath
while divers from around the world searched the flooded cave system for
the boys. But when they found them, they realised that rescue was going
to be really tricky. The boys were in a chamber, but the exit was
underwater. Many of the boys couldn’t swim – and they were too far under
the ground to be reached from above. After almost a month underground
(divers brought in supplies and pumped oxygen into the cave), the
situation became dire and drastic action had to be taken. The boys
were sedated, had full-face oxygen masks placed on them, were
strapped onto a stretcher and were passed from diver to
diver through the underwater tunnels until they
surfaced. Luckily all 12 boys, plus their coach,
were not seriously harmed. But things
could have been much worse.CAVE
CREATURES
You get many creatures that call a cave home- from bears to bats and even Stone Age humans.
But true cave-dwelling creatures are much more
fascinating. They are called troglobites, and they never
see the sun. Most of the species that live in caves have
adapted to having no light. They lose their pigment and their
eyes, and their other senses get better. There are many species of
fish, salamanders, insects, bats, spiders and crustaceans. One
fascinating creature is called an olm; it’s a type of blind, colourless
salamander who can live for up to 100 years. They may not be
able to see, but they have different super-senses – they can
sense electric and magnetic fields and are great at smelling
and hearing. There are almost 8,000 recorded species of
troglobites, but researchers reckon we haven’t even
scratched the surface... with so many caves
still unexplored, that number is likely to
be exceedingly higher.