Glossary
| arachnid-any
wingless, carnivorous arthropod. Including spiders, scorpions, mites, ticks, and
daddy long legs. |
| nervous system-the
system of nerves/nerve centers in an animal or human. including the brain,
spinal cord, nerves, or ganglia. |
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http://www.malcolmbeck.com/images/bat_cave_insects_sm2.jpg |
Cave Insects
Creepy Creatures of Cave |
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There are many
different types of creatures in caves such as mammals, reptiles,
amphibians, fish, arachnids, and insects. But insects and arachnids
probably make up most of a cave's inhabitants.
There are many types of rare and odd insects in caves. Odd as in,
almost all of them don't have eyes! That's right, they are so adapted
to cave life, some don't even need eyes to guide them through the
darkness. Instead, their other senses are greatly enhanced. Cave
insects' empty eye sockets are used to store fat for when food in the
cave gets scarce. Because they don't have eyes, their nervous system is
incredible. The sensitive nerves are used to tell the slightest change
in temperature, and the size of other possible mates and enemies. So
basically, they can see without seeing. Also, cave insects live a slow
life. As a result, cave insects can live up to a century! Many of the
cave insects have these enhanced senses, such as cave cockroaches,
crickets, scorpions, millipedes, spiders, centipedes, and more.
Probably the most disgusting, and most absolutely gruesome of all
cave insects is the Giant Cave Cockroach. Cave cockroaches are found near, no,
under, bats. More specifically, in their guano. Bat guano is a
bat's feces. Cave cockroaches
have adapted to life in giant piles of bat guano. They eat and draw
nutrients from it, breed, and thrive in it. Not only do they eat the
droppings, they also occasionally eat the actual bat when a
mother bat looses grip on her child, and it falls, into
millions, BILLIONS, of hungry cockroaches below.
Yes, life is truly different in a cave, isn't it? It's amazing
what these creatures do to adjust to life in a cave. Cave insects are,
as you can see, very interesting, and scientists are still studying them
today. New facts are being uncovered every moment. It really is true,
cave insects are amazing. |
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