Discover The Bizarre Life In Movile Cave: A World Sealed Off For 5 Million Years

It’d make an introvert’s paradise if not for the total lack of sunlight, smell of rotten eggs, and creepy crawlies.

Author
HOLLY LARGE
Jr Copy Editor & Staff Writer

Cut off from the rest of the world 5.5 million years ago, the Movile Cave has developed a unique and bizarre ecosystem like no other place on Earth.

Sitting a few miles from the Black Sea coast in Romania, the cave is one of the most isolated places on the planet, having been sealed off by thick layers of clay and limestone during the late Miocene era. When it was discovered in 1986 by researchers looking for a place to build a nuclear power plant, they instead discovered a biologist’s goldmine.

If you’re an introvert thinking you’ve just found your dream home, you’ll be sad to find out that access to the cave is guarded and granted only by special permission. The 100 percent humidity, toxic atmosphere, and total lack of sunlight would also make it a fairly grim place to spend an extended amount of time.

The harsh conditions haven’t put off life entirely though – intrepid researchers have discovered that the cave plays host to a multitude of strange species, adapted to the unique atmosphere.

More:
https://www.iflscience.com/discover-the-bizarre-life-in-movile-cave-a-world-sealed-off-for-5-million-years-70619