A cave sealed for 5 million years, containing creatures that are not like the usual found in other above-ground habitats was discovered. What the cave and its denizen prove is that there might be more exotic environments undiscovered on earth.
According to Dr. Christian Lascu, who unsealed the Movile cave found in Romania. Where they found 33 exotic creatures that defied explanation, he estimated the cave at 5 million years ago (MYA). These creatures were trapped and adapted to their unique living conditions, reported The Earth Site.
One of the starkest characteristics is there is no oxygen for the creatures to survive. But they amazingly evolved to live in a toxic and humid atmosphere. The evolution they developed is so unusual it redefines how oxygen is thought to be needed. Inside the Movile cave, oxygen is not needed to live, even mechanisms of how life is evolved are defied.
Scientist identify 33 new species inside the cave
So far, there have been 48 species identified that are living in this prehistoric environment. These are scorpions, spiders, centipedes, and other species too. Mind-blowing is finding 33 specific animals living in this specific cave not seen in any other habitat. Most of these species have existed longer than homo-sapiens and their forbears kept in a cave till now.
Kinds of creatures found so far
Most of them are completely blind, with no eyes because it is not needed in Movile cave, even pigment because of perpetual darkness. They developed other means to go about with no eyes. One example is any body protrusion or extension to sense where they are in utter darkness for millions of years.
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How these creatures look is the stuff eccentric evolution, which took root when all the cave denizens gave up eyes. Another is how light becomes a non-factor in an alien-like environment, which is the Movile cave.
This environment is 5 million years old
It is essentially an archaic ecosystem that contains the elements of the atmosphere when it got sealed off. No human can breathe in the toxic gas, but the creatures in it can and they live. The organisms inside are the only ones who can breathe in the toxic atmosphere. Another is the bacteria that eats using chemosynthesis.
The process of Chemosynthesis is just like how plants make food, instead of toxic gas is converted for nourishment. This translates to creating potential food sources for other organisms larger than them.
A food chain that supports other animals that allows life to thrive and evolve until the cave was opened. This is similar to most habitats, but it has toxic gas as its base, unlike other above-ground environments.
Movile may be the oddball ecosystem on land, down in the depths there is a similar phenomenon near hydrothermal vents, which is the same. The cave system will give insight into alternative evolution that will add more knowledge.
Speculations on how bacteria and creatures got trapped
Most of the theories of how the cave trapped the creatures and bacteria are unclear. According to scientists, it was the bacteria that got there first. Creatures may have gotten trapped by accident and survived on instinct, said J. Colin Murrell, a microbiologist from the University of East Anglia.
The Movile cave sealed off about 5 million years ago has more secrets, and it will benefit science.
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