27 Unknown Species Discovered

NaijaGuy writes "27 unknown species of spiders, centipedes, scorpion-like creatures and other animals have been discovered in caves beneath national parks in California's Sierra Nevada. The Texas-based Zara Environmental led the 3-year exploration and has published reports with photos of the fascinating critters. "Not only are these animals new to science, but they're adapted to very specific environments -- some of them, to a single room in one cave," said Joel Despain, a cave specialist who helped explore 30 of the 238 known caves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks."

Comments

*shudder*

[Z0mb1eman]

Too many spiders and scorpions... *shudder*

Anyone know what the ecosystem in those caves (and in caves in general) feeds on? What's at the bottom of the food chain? (since there's no photosynthesis...)

And no, I didn't have the patience to read TFA carefully, though I did look at all the pictures in the four reports... hence the *shudder* :p

Re:*shudder*

[aphoenix]

Probably fungus is the snack of choice for those lingering near the bottom of the chain. There is flora that thrives in the dark - fungi tend to do so, but any non-photosynthetic flora that enjoys the damp could survive or even start to flourish.

Absence of evidence

[jfengel]

Interesting. It doesn't say that experiments say otherwise; it just says that the experiments haven't been done.

So you have to make kind of a logical jump from there to saying that whoever is saying it doesn't have any proof, either. Which is almost certainly true, though it's a bit of a jump; conceivably it could be some sort of unpublished report. But as far as I know it's not based on anecdotal evidence, either; I've never heard of any small animals being bitten.

Presumably nobody's done the study because they have no reason to believe that it is true. If somebody observed a daddy longlegs biting something larger than it and killing it, there would be reason to do the research. But if it killed a mouse, it would almost certainly cause at least some reaction in humans.

That strikes me as an interesting glimpse into the difference between science and urban legend. The spiders could actually be poisonous, but from a scientific standpoint it wouldn't make the urban legend true regardless. That's because the legend appears to be based on no data, and without data it's not science even if it turns out to be factual.

Huh.

Worlds within worlds.

[qualico]

"...they're adapted to very specific environments -- some of them, to a single room in one cave."

If that is true, then there are far more discoveries on the way.

Think about every orifice in the Earth.
Has anyone calculated the possible surface area?

Worlds within worlds.

Re:Evidence or not?

[Anonymous Coward]

Can't evolution be a tool of god? Wouldn't you create a logical system for creation and self changing beings if you could?

A few thoughts

[awarlaw]

1. Does the flash of the camera impair the creature?
2. It seems that life can adapt to ANY non-vaccuum (maybe even there!)
3. Maybe they evolved recently (within the last few decades). I am starting to think that Darwin's changes happen on an even faster scale than years. I am starting to think maybe changes can happen in a CURRENT generation.

Just some thoughts

-AL