EnchantedLearning.com Biomes - Habitats

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Caves are home to many animals. A troglobiont ('troglo' means cave or hole in Greek and 'bio' means life) is an organism that lives in a cave.

Some animals live only in caves - they are called troglobites (meaning 'cave dwellers'). These animals are adapted to life in the dark (they are often colorless and many cannot see at all) and they cannot survive outside the cave. Some examples include the blind Texas salamander, blind flatworms, eyeless shrimp, eyeless fish, cave beetles, cave crayfish, and some bristletails, isopods and copepods.

Some animals live in caves but also venture out of the cave to complete their life cycle - these animals are called trogloxenes (meaning 'cave guests'). Some trogloxenes include some bats (who only roost in caves), pack rats (who nest in caves), cave crickets (who feed outside the cave), flies and gnats.

Trogolophiles (meaning 'cave lovers') are animals who sometimes live in caves but also live elsewhere. Some Trogolophiles include cave crickets, cave beetles, salamanders, millipedes, snails, copepods, segmented worms, mites, spider, and daddy longlegs (harvestman).

Some animals only enter caves occasionally - these animals are called incidentals. Some incidentals include raccoons, frogs, and people.

Temperature and Living Conditions: Different animals live in the different areas of the cave. Terrestrial (land) caves are divided into three areas:

• The entrance zone: The area where the cave opens to the surface is called the entrance zone; it is a cool, shaded area. The entrance zone is home to some small rodents, spiders, beetles, earthworms, salamanders, snakes, millipedes, and other animals seeking shelter in the cave entrance.
• The twilight zone: The next area is called the twilight zone, a cool, damp area with some light. It is home to cave crickets and cave beetles.
• The dark zone is deep within the cave; it is cool and dark all the time. The dark zone is home to blind crayfish, eyeless shrimp, and other dark-adapted life.

Draw Four Things You Would See in a Cave Draw four things you would see in a cave. Below each item, write its name.

Bat Anatomy Bats are the only flying mammal.

Bat Anatomy: Label Me! Label the external anatomy of the bat. Answers

Earthworm An earthworm is a little animal with a long, soft body and no legs.

Raccoon The raccoon is a mammal with mask-like markings on its face and a ringed tail.

An Enchanted Learning Web Page Biomes - Habitats

Arctic	Desert	Chaparral or Scrub		Taiga = Coniferous Forests	Grassland		Tropical Rainforest	Pond	Ocean
Antarctic	Tundra	Cave	City	Temperate Deciduous Forest	Savanna	Prairie	Freshwater Marsh	Swamp	Intertidal Zone	Coral Reef	Sunlit (Euphotic) Zone	Twilight (Disphotic) Zone

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