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Cave Fauna

Perhaps the most often asked question of cavers by non-cavers is "Aren't there all sorts of snakes and animals down in those holes?" The answer is a little more complex than one might imagine. Caves are what is known as "low-energy ecosystems." If you consider that the majority of life on earth is entirely dependent on Solar energy then it follows logically that caves would have very little life due to the total lack of sunlight in a cave. There are actually caves that support entire ecosystems with complex animals that depend entirely on chemosynthesis (deriving energy from chemicals) as opposed to photosynthesis (deriving energy from light). But that is a topic that is beyond the scope of this page. Snakes do not live in TAG (Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia) caves, but do occasionally fall in. Bears will not be found in caves in TAG. But caves do harbor quite a lot of life.

Probably the most common cave animal present in the TAG region (Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, USA) is the cave cricket. There are two common genera of cave crickets in this region, Ceuthophilus and Hadenoecus, with former having dark bands on it's body and the latter being largly beige and bland in coloration. Each genus consists of several species but cavers rarely differentiate beyond the genera. Crickets are a very important link in the cave ecosystem because they generally are not obligate troglobites, which means that they leave the cave regularly to forage for food. When they return they bring in spores on their legs and bodies and they defecate, leaving biological matter in the cave to increase the biological energy level for other cave animals to utilize. Also they die in the cave and their bodies provide both a food source for smaller troglobites and an energy source for fungus growth. It is not unusual to find a dead cricket totally encased in white, hair-like fungus. Hadenoecus subterraneus is often seen deep in caves and can live it's whole life in the cave if sufficient food is availiable. Crickets eat smaller insects, but have also been known to eat mold and fabric. Fabric, of course, is not usually present in caves but mold often is.

The next most common cave animal is probably the cave salamander. They are found in greater numbers near the entrance of caves but can often be found much deeper inside. The most common salamander in TAG is Eurycea lucifuga. It is orange with black spots and is commonly found in sizes up to six inches (10 cm) long. The Tennessee Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus) is an endangered species and is rarely spotted in caves.

Other animals often found in caves include, but are not limited to, cave beetles, cave rats (also known as a wood rat), spiders, which only live near entrances where food is available, worms, snails, millipedes, and centipedes. But these animals are much more rare and usually not encountered or not noticed during a caving trip unless they are being specifically looked for.

There are also blind, albino cave fish (Typhlichthys subterraneus), sculpins (a non-cave fish species that often visits caves). albino crustaceans ranging in size from tiny copapods to large crayfish (Orconectes pellucidus australis), and of course, bats.

Bats are generally harmless to humans. The cave dwelling bats the TAG region are exclusively insectivores and feed mainly on flying insects, like mosquitoes. It is possible for a bat to have rabies because they are mammals and it is a mammallian virus. But they are not generally a greater risk for rabies than any other wild animals. Bats will not get tangled up in your hair. That is an old wives tale and totally untrue. They also cannot really bite humans because their mouths are too small. If you were to pick one up though, I can promise you it will locate a part of you hand that will fit into it's mouth and it will have a bite. They are best left un-molested, which is a good rule of thumb for all wild animals. Live and let live and just enjoy the opportunity to see wild nature in action.

Below are some photos of some cave critters that are common in TAG. Enjoy the views and remember that most of these animals are totally harmless to humans and all will run away from humans if given the chance. Except maybe cave crickets, which have an annoying tendency to jump right into your face and ears. Usually when you are on rope in an entrance or crawling in some tight entrance squeeze...

All photos copyrighted by me, Jay Greene, 2001, unless otherwise noted. Thanks go out to Kristen Bobo, for providing some of the following photos, Dr. Thomas Barr, who assisted with species identification, and Roy Powers, who also helped with species identification.

A cave rat nest found near the entrance to a cave in Tennessee.

A cave beetle found in Indian Cave. According to Dr. Thomas Barr, who only saw the photograph and not the actual speciman, it is probably a Platynus, Pterostichus, or some related genus. This beetle is not an obligate cave dweller. They are also often found in a slightly smaller variety with reddish color and they are obligate cave dwellers..

A cave cricket of the Hadenoecus genus. Sometimes cave crickets get infected with a fungal disease which appears to kill them. The cricket in this photo appears to have a slight layer of dusty powder stuff on it's rear. It may be infected.

Banded Sculpin. Scientific name: Cottus carolinae. A relatively common bottom dwelling fish of the Cumberland and Tennessee river drainages. Although it is rarely seen. It inhabits flowing streams in its region. Feeds on inveterbrates and other fish. Commonly found in cave streams, although there does not seem to be a cave-adapted variety. They just sometimes choose to live in caves. The Banded Sculpin requires clean water, often living in spring water and headwaters of streams. It does not live in waters that drain into the Mississippi river.

This photo shows two albino, eyeless, cave crawfish (Orconectes pellucidus australis) under water in a cave. Notice the total lack of body pigment. Pigment is a biological response to light. Caves have no light at all, therefore body pigment genes get turned off after so many generations without light. Photo copyrighted by Kristen Bobo, 2001.

Cave-Adapted Isopods. Scientific name: Asellus "_______" . Species unidentified. Somewhat common aquatic cave invertebrate. Sometimes present in cave streams. Provides a food source for cave-adapted crawfish.Thought to feed on detritus and bacteria in the pools.

Ocoee Salamander. Scientific name: Desmognathus ocoee. I found this little guy pretty deep in a vertical cave. They are not really cave dwellers, but this one seemed to be doing just fine. The cave in question is a fairly high-energy cave, with lots of visitors from the outside, including resident cave rats, multitudes of crickets, salamanders, and other animals. Plus a lot of organic debris is present in the cave, providing habitat, detritus, and outside sources of life and food. The Ocoee salamander is a very common salamander in the southeast, preferring moist habitats and often found near headwaters of first-order streams. Mature lengths will be approximately 25-35mm. They are opportunistic feeders, feeding mainly on small insects.

A cave salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) hanging around near the entrance.

Long-Tailed Salamander. Scientific name: Eurycea longicauda. Usually found in seepages, alongside streams, and in caves. Literature suggests that Eurycea longicauda feeds nocturnally on insects, spiders, centipedes, and other invertebrates. As teh photo above shows, they also feed on slimy salamanders. This specimean was found in a cave. Photo credit: Kristen Bobo

Pickerel Frog. Scientific name: Lithobates palustris. This frog was found very far back into a horizontal cave. It seems that it must have been washed in from the outside, but it is possible that it ventured back that far on it's own. Kristen Bobo carried it out in her jacket pocket to a place near the entrance so the frog could decide for itself if it wanted to go back in or out.

A typical bat found in TAG caves. This one is an eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus). This is the most common cave bat found in the Eastern USA.

This is some type of long eared bat found in Kentucky. I think it may be a Rafinesque's Big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) but because it's ears are laid back it is hard to make a positive identification. Bat identification can be difficult, even for experts.

Another eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) bat.

Again, an eastern pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus subflavus).

Another long-eared bat. Probably a Rafinesque's Big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii).

A Rafinesque's Big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) found in a building that is currently not occupied by humans. Photo copyrighted by Kristen Bobo, 2001.

And of course, there are the cavers (Home sapien spelunkus).

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