Episode 4 of the Planet Earth DVD series explores the Earth’s caves and tunnels; the “final frontier” of our world. The Earth’s biggest cave, the Cave of Swallows in Mexico, with a depth of 400 meters, is featured in this episode. Also featured is Deer Cave in Borneo, inhabited by three million wrinkle-lipped bats which live on the cave’s ceiling. The bats deposit guano onto an enormous mound on the floor of the cave. The mound is 100 meters high and is blanketed with feeding cockroaches.
Planet Earth also offers a glimpse of other cave life, including a number of subterranean, eyeless creatures, such as the Texan cave salamander and a species of crab. The episode closes with beautiful footage of the Lechuguilla Cave which was only recently discovered. Footage of Lechuguilla Cave includes the ornate gypsum crystal formations, carved by sulphuric acid, found within the cave.
Post adapted from Wikipedia. Content is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
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