Cave fauna

To the wonders of the caves, and above all Postojna Caves - Yama, is their rather diverse, oddly enough, the animal world. However, in most cases, this is random "citizens" that live near the entrance to the cave (this includes, for example, the cave bear of the ice time). Of particular interest are self-troglobionty animals, living only in caves, mostly small crustaceans, spiders and insects. Cave conditions are favorable for their existence is the fact that the temperature here from year to year remains constant, about 8 -9. Some animals are blind, adaptation to complete darkness. If we assume that zakarstovyvanie and, consequently, the formation of caves began in rannetretichnom period, then it must be assumed that the development of adapted to extreme conditions troglobioitov happened within just a few million years. The most famous among these animals, of course, is blind, almost devoid of pigment European Proteus (Proteus anguinus). "Reaches a length of 20 -30 cm in the caves of Postojna - Yama and Shkotsyanske - Yam Proteus show tourists in small pools; true as their habitat it is not known. The waters of the caves are accessible to observation vs. not met. The scientific name given to him back in 1768, it is associated with the name of the Greek god Proteus, capable of taking different images, this deity was the godfather and the family of plants Proteaceae (we will meet with him once again at Cape of Good Hope). anguinus Species name means "zmeeobrazny." First, the animals thought lizards or small "dragons", but already in the XVIII century they have assigned to caudate amphibians: the truth, even Linnaeus believed that this bot, because dog has gills. The way of its propagation has long remained controversial. Now we know that the caves in Pego pups born alive, but in other conditions (higher temperatures), it lays eggs. European Proteus is widely distributed in the caves of Yugoslavia and became a kind of symbol of local researchers karst. In Europe, it has been no close relatives, but in North America they are known (eg, not living in caves American Proteus Necturus). Proteus is considered a relict species, surviving in the Tertiary period. Torn range of both modern genera Proteus, some researchers considered as evidence of continental drift. The map also shows the fragmented distribution of another group of tailed amphibians, namely salamanders (Cryptobranchus in Japan, Megalobatranchus-in the U.S. as well as the tertiary sort Anurias); Tertiary fossil species Anurias scheuchzeri. Eningena found in sediments (Lake Constance region ), became widely known through the work of the Zurich physician Sheyhtsera. who in 1726 described him as Homo diluvii testis, as the mortal remains of the unfortunate sinner, who drowned in the Flood »!