Zara Environmental, LLC
118 W. Goforth St. Buda, Texas 78610 |
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By JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press Writer
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - Twenty-seven previously
unknown species of spiders, centipedes, scorpion-like
creatures and other animals have been discovered in the
dark, damp caves beneath two national parks in the Sierra
Nevada, biologists say.
"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.
The discoveries included a relative of the pill bug so
translucent that its internal organs are visible, particularly
its long, bright yellow liver. There was also a daddy long legs
with jaws bigger than its body, and a tiny fluorescent orange
spider.
"Many people will be looking at these trying to find where
they fit in the tree of life," said Darrell Ubick, a cave biologist
with the San Francisco-based California Academy of Sciences.
While it is extremely rare to find new mammal or bird species
on the surface, caves still hold an abundance of secrets.
Like the deep sea, they are often difficult to reach and seldom
explored.
Discovering so many species was thrilling, said Jean Krejca, a consulting biologist with Austin, Texas-based Zara
Environmental who helped lead the three-year exploration. The findings were released Tuesday.
"You get the feeling you're Lewis and Clark, charting undiscovered territory," she said. "Caves are one of the last
frontiers."
Park officials plan to adopt measures to protect the caves, Despain said. Most of them are not accessible to the
public, and can be visited only by researchers or experienced explorers with permits.
The species have yet to be named, described scientifically and placed in the continuum of known living organisms.
"We don't know how long they live, what kind of habitat they prefer, how many offspring they have, or how sensitive
they are to human disturbance," Krejca said. "There's still so much to learn."
Zara Environmental conducts field work across the United States and Mexico. Their clients include the Department
of Defense, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the American Museum of Natural History, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, the National Park Service, and a number of private consulting firms. More new species in "Eden". FRJ
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