Some of the world's most unusual animals are found in the cave, including this water scorpion. The animals adapted by losing their pigmentation and sight. They survive by eating each other or the bacteria that thrive on the cave's hydro-thermal vent. Photo by Serban Sarbu. The predatory leeches, rare water scorpions, and other inhabitants of Movile Cave are similar to species found in deep sea vent communities.
Researchers dive in the Romanian cave, carefully exploring the unusual species.
But in this case, food is being produced in the cave using the energy that results from the oxidation of hydrogen sulfide. This alone makes the cave unique. Some differ from their above-ground counterparts in ways that suggest Movile Cave may be, in effect, a time capsule from ancient Romania. Researcher Serban Sarbu descends the narrow passage into Romania's Movile Cave. When Earth's climate changed 5.5 million years ago, the area went from being tropical to temperate.