The Earth Story

The Waitomo Glow Worm Cave

Near the western coast of New Zealand’s North Island sits a province where limestone is exposed to the surface. When limestone is exposed in environments that receive moderate amounts of rainfall, it tends to dissolve, forming caves and a pattern we call karst topography.

Caves are a spectacular setting for evolution. Caves can be somewhat isolated, so when organisms get into them, they can find niches with little competition, and the populations of those organisms are small enough to evolve rapidly.

The light you see is a unique feature of one species that leads to this site being known as the Waitomo Glow Worm cave. The glowworms are of the species Arachnocampa luminosa, about the size of an average mosquito, native to New Zealand, and an inhabitant of caves and dark areas throughout both islands. This cave has become a famous tourist destination due to the high population of these organisms and the pale light they give off.

-JBB

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/63349090@N08/8720211482 (Creative commons licensed)

Read more: http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-geology.aspx http://www.glowworm.co.nz/geology.html

Original caption:

lu_akasah

Glow Worm Cave | New Zealand

Original caption:

Photos of the Waitomo glow worm cave in New Zealand are pretty cool, but wow, in this video clip you can actually see them moving. Neat!

An Underground Galaxy

The Waitomo caves of New Zealand’s North Island contain a remarkable,twinkling display of almost cosmic beauty, and it’s all thanks to the larvae of Arachnocampa luminosa, a glow worm endemic to both islands.

The name of the caves is derived from two Māori names. “Wai”, meaning water, and “tomo”, meaning hole or shaft. These caves were known to the indigenous population for many years, but it wasn’t until local Chief Tane Tinorau and English surveyor Fred Mace thoroughly explored the caves in 1887 that the “Glowworm Grotto” was officially documented. Although they look like worms, they are actually a species of fungus gnat in which not only the larval stage is luminescent, but also the imago stage (last stage of metamorphism). The larva hangs from several millimetres of silken thread (also known as snares), and glow to attract prey. As the collective larvae look like a starry night sky, the midges, moths and other delicious insects are tricked into believing they’re outside and fly upwards into the snares.

The Māori name for these glow worms is titiwai, which means lights reflected over water, and the fact that they are set against a backdrop of limestone stalagmites,stalactites and other cave formations, further enhances the view. If you’re lucky, you can swim, wade or raft upstream as far as possible on the underwater river, and then slowly float back down under this canopy of glittering titiwai.

-GG

Sources: http://bit.ly/1ZVsw3P http://bit.ly/1Qe9UYI http://bit.ly/1UsPvC8

Image: Donnie Ray Jones http://bit.ly/24vXH9a http://bit.ly/1mhaR6e

The Waitomo Glow Worm Cave Near the western coast of New Zealand’s North Island sits a province where limestone is exposed to the surface. When limestone is exposed in environments that receive moderate amounts of rainfall, it tends to dissolve, forming caves and a pattern we call karst topography. Caves are a spectacular setting for evolution. Caves can be somewhat isolated, so when organisms get into them, they can find niches with little competition, and the populations of those organisms are small enough to evolve rapidly. The light you see is a unique feature of one species that leads to this site being known as the Waitomo Glow Worm cave. The glowworms are of the species Arachnocampa luminosa, about the size of an average mosquito, native to New Zealand, and an inhabitant of caves and dark areas throughout both islands. This cave has become a famous tourist destination due to the high population of these organisms and the pale light they give off. -JBB Image credit:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/63349090@N08/8720211482 (Creative commons licensed) Read more: http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-geology.aspx http://www.glowworm.co.nz/geology.html

WAITOMO GLOW WORM CAVES, WAIKATO NEW ZEALAND These caves are most known for the glowworms that inhabit them, Arachnocampa luminosa. The glowworms are endemic to New Zealand, and are around the size of an average mosquito. The walls of the caves are covered with a mushroom like fungi related to the genus Pleurotus. Albino cave ants and weta (giant crickets) also inhabit this cave system.  The limestone from which these caves were carved formed more than 30 million years ago, when most of the New Zealand continent was under water. The limestone contains fossilized corals, sea shells, bryozoans, fish skeletons and other marine organisms. The limestone became exposed when tectonic movement caused it to bend and buckle then rise aboved the sea floor. The rainfall in Waitomo averages 1800-2400mm per year; this rainwater acidifies when combined with dissolved Carbon Dioxide from biological activity in the soil. This acidic water flowed along the fractures in the limestone and slowly ate away at the cavities, enlarging them over millions of years into the cave system we see today. These caves also contain stalactites and stalagmites; formed from water dripping from the ceiling and leaving limestone deposits. The name Waitomo comes from the Maori words ‘wai’ for water and ‘tomo’ for hole or shaft. The caves were first explored in 1887 by local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau and English surveyor Fred Mace. -TEL http://www.glowworm.co.nz/geology.html; http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx Photo: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cK3FONyYc5M/0.jpg