5 ms·

The BBC site wasn't working for me either, found this one which has incredible pictures: https://geoera.eu/blog/movile-cave-romania/ https://geoera.eu/blog/mov

The BBC site wasn't working for me either, found this one which has incredible pictures: https://geoera.eu/blog/movile-cave-romania/ https://geoera.eu/blog/movile-cave-romania/

cozzyd 6y ago
I guess since (most of?) the creatures don't have eyes, it's easy to photograph them? Looks like the place of nightmares.
- OneLeggedCat 6y ago
  The water scorpion there particularly interests me. In the rest of the world, those are active, sight-oriented predators, and the one in this cave still seems to have large eyes.
  - pvaldes 6y ago
    Water currents enter and exit from caves. Aquatic fauna do the same and Nepa can fly easily or enter in crevices if it senses water. That said, the species shown are strange for Europe. I wouldn't discard that there are some misplaced photos (or the authors toke some literary licenses).
quakeguy 6y ago
I found a documentary https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/6889/Life-in-Hell---Survivors-of-Darkness https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/pl...
- SturgeonsLaw 6y ago
  Wow, they're just going right on in there and submerging themselves in that bacterial soup. Scientists are definitely a unique breed.
  - petertodd 6y ago
    The bacteria are in an environment very different than the human body. So while there may be a lot of bacteria, it's probably not going to do any harm to you because it's not adapted to infect you. Speaking as someone who has done a decent amount of caving, I'd be much more worried about the CO2 and other gasses in the air (and I'm sure those scientists are as well). It's really rare for caves to have dangerous bad air. But sounds like this one could be an exception.
    - Gibbon1 6y ago
      Hydrogen Sulfide is bad stuff. Friend did work for a tannery. One night the concrete lined cesspool they stored waste from leather manufacturing blurbled and turned over releasing CO2, Methane and Hydrogen sulfide. Killed two security guards in their guard shack 100 yards away. I think like cyanide you lose your sense of smell as the concentration approaches lethal levels. That leads people to assume concentrations are falling instead of increasing.
pvaldes 6y ago
Photo a) Cave inhabitant is an interesting surprise and really bizarre, an antique branch of arachnida. Maybe a new relict species (would be the third in Europe). Totally harmless to humans and a real creature. Harry Potter's fans may remember it from the third film.
- pvaldes 6y ago
  Hum... that photo does not fit really there...

The BBC site wasn't working for me either, found this one which has incredible pictures: https://geoera.eu/blog/movile-cave-romania/ https://geoera.eu/blog/movile-cave-romania/

cozzyd 6y ago

I guess since (most of?) the creatures don't have eyes, it's easy to photograph them? Looks like the place of nightmares.

OneLeggedCat 6y ago
The water scorpion there particularly interests me. In the rest of the world, those are active, sight-oriented predators, and the one in this cave still seems to have large eyes.
- pvaldes 6y ago
  Water currents enter and exit from caves. Aquatic fauna do the same and Nepa can fly easily or enter in crevices if it senses water. That said, the species shown are strange for Europe. I wouldn't discard that there are some misplaced photos (or the authors toke some literary licenses).

quakeguy 6y ago

I found a documentary https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/6889/Life-in-Hell---Survivors-of-Darkness https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/pl...

SturgeonsLaw 6y ago
Wow, they're just going right on in there and submerging themselves in that bacterial soup. Scientists are definitely a unique breed.
- petertodd 6y ago
  The bacteria are in an environment very different than the human body. So while there may be a lot of bacteria, it's probably not going to do any harm to you because it's not adapted to infect you. Speaking as someone who has done a decent amount of caving, I'd be much more worried about the CO2 and other gasses in the air (and I'm sure those scientists are as well). It's really rare for caves to have dangerous bad air. But sounds like this one could be an exception.
  - Gibbon1 6y ago
    Hydrogen Sulfide is bad stuff. Friend did work for a tannery. One night the concrete lined cesspool they stored waste from leather manufacturing blurbled and turned over releasing CO2, Methane and Hydrogen sulfide. Killed two security guards in their guard shack 100 yards away. I think like cyanide you lose your sense of smell as the concentration approaches lethal levels. That leads people to assume concentrations are falling instead of increasing.

pvaldes 6y ago

Photo a) Cave inhabitant is an interesting surprise and really bizarre, an antique branch of arachnida. Maybe a new relict species (would be the third in Europe). Totally harmless to humans and a real creature. Harry Potter's fans may remember it from the third film.

pvaldes 6y ago
Hum... that photo does not fit really there...