A new study examines the embryogenesis and eye development of the cave-dwelling spider Tegenaria pagana, providing the first detailed description of its developmental stages. By analyzing gene ...

Discovered in 2020, Cryptops speleorex — meaning "king of the cave" — sits at the top of the food chain in the unique ecosystem. It is the largest invertebrate species in the cave, growing to ...

Moving quietly to avoid rousing the animals, he approaches a ... concerned not just for bats but for the ecosystems in which they participate—living caves, forests, farmlands.

Once an ancient seafloor, the arid ecosystem covers more ... Troglomorphism is the term applied to animals that evolved to live in the complete darkness of a cave. "They're globally significant ...

This discovery highlights the importance of small animals in ancient ecosystems and their role in the marine food chain. Mammoth Cave, with its 400 miles (650 km) of explored passages, is an ...

Spiders play an important role in cave ecosystems as predators, yet little is known about the embryonic development of many cave-spider species.Cave-dwelling animals often exhibit unique ...