- Hi, Gretchen.
We're back.
- Hey, John and Amsat.
- Hey.
We're really deep into the dark zone right now.
- The cave ecosystem is really different
from the surface ecosystem,
where the sun helps plants grown
and form the basis of our food web.
In cave ecosystems,
the light of the sun doesn't reach very far.
However, air, people, animals, water
all bring nutrients into the cave environment.
From underground aquifers,
which are areas that are completely filled
with water beneath the water table
to partially dry passages, they're all full of life.
My team and I are surveying this area
to see what lives here.
- Let's watch a video from the Bug Chicks,
and they'll tell us a little bit more
about what lives in caves.
(upbeat music)
- Jess, we have got to get out of town this weekend.
I'm gettin' antsy.
- Yeah, I feel you on that.
Where do you wanna go?
- Beach?
We were just there teaching.
- Mountains?
I feel like we should go somewhere
we don't normally go, you know.
- Okay, desert?
Rainforest?
They sound cool but--
Oh, I have an idea. - Oh, I have an idea.
Let's say it at same time. (speaking in unison)
One, two, three.
The caves. - The Bremerton Museum.
Yours is better.
Let's do yours.
- I just think we haven't been to a cave in a long time.
They have troglofauna, cool ecosystems.
- Whoa, Jessica, you had me at troglofauna.
- Troglofauna is the fancy word for cave dwelling animals.
They have special adaptations that allow them
to survive in extreme environments.
- Now, we're going to have to do
a Bug Chick vocabulary break down.
Because saying cave dwelling animals
doesn't really give you the whole picture.
- Here we go, troglo means caves.
- And fauna means animals.
- But not all cave dwellers are the same.
There are troglo.
- Xenes.
Xene means visitor and these are animals
that can visit a cave ecosystem.
They can come and go freely,
but they can't spend their entire life cycle in the cave.
- Some famous examples of trogloxenes
are bats, pack rats, moths, and some species of beetle.
- Then there are troglophiles.
- These are animals that can live outside of caves,
but they prefer to be inside them.
- Yeah, that's right,
'cause they love caves.
- Phile means one that loves.
- Examples of troglophiles include certain species
of arachnid, crayfish, and salamander.
- And finally, there are the very cool troglo.
- Bites.
- These are true cave dwellers.
These animals spend their entire lives
inside of a cave and can't survive outside them.
- They're usually pale.
- 'Cause who needs color in absolute dark.
- And blind.
In fact, many species have what's called vestigial eyes.
These are mere remnants of the eyes
their ancestors used to have
and they're shrunken and the animals can't see.
- Arthropod troglobites include
these millipedes, shrimp, and isopods.
- Lot's of cave arthropods
have these incredible body parts,
that have evolved over millions of years
to help them thrive, eat, and not get eaten.
- Speaking of millions of years,
time travel segment. - Time travel segment.
- [Jess] A few years ago, Kristie and I
wanted to see some local troglofauna.
So, we traveled to the Oregon caves
in the Rogue Siskiyou National Forest,
in search of giant cave crickets.
- Oh, what's in here?
What is it?
- Look at those long, tarsal segments.
Everything about them is adapted
to live in this environment.
- [Kristie] These cave crickets are a great example
of morphological adaptation.
Check out those long antennae,
the extended palps and cerci,
and those incredible back legs.
These adaptations help the cricket
sense potential predators that might be nearby
and help them feel around in the dark.
- Our day in the caves did not disappoint.
We went deep underground
and got to see animals you don't normally get to see.
Scientists don't really know much
about this species of cave cricket,
so being in a cave is like visiting an alien planet.
But it's in our backyard.
Oh, I miss those caves.
I want to go back.
- I thought you might.
So while that segment was playing,
I whipped up some special costumes
so we can dress up like troglofauna.
Compelte with morphological details
that are going to help us survive.
- Cosplay.
Can we go to a nearby cave?
Can we try them out?
- Yes, now using the measurements
of the cave crickets in the last segment,
I extrapolated using our body length
and figured out that our antennae
should be about
eight feet
long.
All right.
Now.
- Oh, vestigial eyes?
- Yep. - Yeah, these are mine.
- Okay and then I'll take these,
that are super big to capture
as much light in a dark cave as possible.
Whoa.
(laughing)
Oh, I almost forgot,
okay,
our legs.
(laughing)
(snapping noises)
(lively music)
- Now you get to drive.
(car engine starting)
(upbeat music)
I forgot how chilly it can be in a cave.
- Oh, I brought tea.
- You did? - Yep.
- Awesome, I brought a joke.
- Okay.
- What's a bug's favorite sport?
- Mmmm, I don't know, what?
- [Jess] Cricket. (laughing)
- Wait, so I would be a trogloxene?
- (laughs) Yeah, that's right.
We could be considered trogloxenes.