Tiptoe Through the Caves Amidst Light Fantastic

Waitomo’s wondrous underground labyrinth of caves has been forming over the last 30 million years. “In one of these caverns is a very special animal – one that has evolved to thrive in wind-free places exactly like these caverns,” Jaymi Heimbuch writes for Treehugger. “The species is Arachnocampa luminosa, a species of fungus gnat that is luminous during the larval stage. When a person travels by boat or inner tube through the pitch black Glowworm Grotto, as the cavern is called, the ceiling looks like a galaxy of blue stars. The glowworms can grow to be about three centimetres long. When it hatches from its egg, the larva uses an interesting feeding strategy. It creates a nest of silk on the ceiling of the cave, and then drops dozens of long strands of mucus-coated silk down from the ceiling surrounding its nest. It will then hang out on the ceiling and glow, which attracts prey to its sticky strands of silk. When prey – such as midges, moths, and other small insects – are caught, the glowworm pulls the silk strand up and dines. The larvae are sensitive to any disturbance, and will stop glowing if frightened. So visitors wanting to witness this glowing phenomenon need to be very quiet. Indeed, the largest danger to the species is not predation but human interference. Despite this, the glowworms seem to be doing well even with the many guided tours that have been bringing visitors to see the mock-galaxy they create along the ceiling of the cave for decades.”