*NEWS*UNKNOWN CREATURES FOUND IN CAVE

Unknown creatures found in cave
Eight
previously unknown invertebrate creatures have been discovered in an
underwater cave in central Israel.The largest is a white shrimp-like
crustacean. Another resembles a species of scorpion and is blind.The
cave was uncovered during drilling at a quarry close to Tel
Aviv.Scientists say it is a unique ecosystem that has been sealed off
from the world for five million years and could contain other ancient
lifeforms.”The uniqueness is of the environmental conditions and of the
palaeohistory,” said Dr Hanan Dimantman, a biologist at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem.”The result of this is that the ecosystem is
unique. We are sure that the eight species that were found are only the
beginning of the story of this ecosystem.”
Ancient ecosystem
The
cave is connected to a lake and a network of passageways that extend
for more than a mile (1.6km) some 400ft (120m) underground.The
creatures have yet to be given a nameIt is thought to date back
millions of years to a time when the area was part of the Mediterranean
Sea.Scientists believe the ecosystem has been isolated since then,
creating a unique environment in which new species have evolved.Two of
the crustaceans are adapted to seawater and two others live in fresh or
brackish water, suggesting they may be descended from ancient sea
creatures.They have lost their eyes over the course of evolution in the
gloom of the cave.All of the species were found alive, except for one
species of blind scorpion, but scientists are confident that a complete
set of living specimens will be found.Samples have been sent to experts
in Europe and Israel to be named and classified.Paul Pearce-Kelly,
senior curator of invertebrates at London Zoo, said the organisms would
give clues to how life can evolve in the absence of sunlight.”They can
give a very good insight into how robust life, and the evolutionary
process driving it, can be,” he said