Entrance Siju Cave South Garo Oct24 A7CR 04109

Siju Dobakkol, also known as Siju Cave or Bat Cave in English, is one of the most well-known and significant caves in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Located in the Garo Hills of the North East Indian state of

Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...

, near Napak Lake and the Simsang River game reserve, it is a renowned limestone cave famous for its impressive

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; ; ) is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist ...

and

stalactite A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension (chemistry ...

formations. Siju Dobakkol is home to tens of thousands of

bats Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

, and holds great significance in the field of biospeleology, being one of the most thoroughly researched caves in the Indian subcontinent.

History and exploration

Although known since ancient times, the scientific exploration of Siju Cave dates back to 1922, when it was investigated by Stanley Kemp and K. Chopra of the Indian Museum, Calcutta (now Kolkata), as part of an interdisciplinary research project. This project made Siju Cave one of the best-researched cave systems in the Indian subcontinent at that time. In 1927, it was discovered that the temperature in the cave remains relatively constant throughout the year, ranging between . Until 1981, Siju Cave held the record for being the longest cave in India, with a length of . However, with further explorations, the cave's surveyed length has now been extended to , making it the 14th longest cave in India today.

Geography and geology

The Siju cave system is over long, although nearly all of it is filled with water and remains inaccessible to most visitors. The limestone hills of Meghalaya, known for receiving heavy rainfall and moisture, host many other cave systems, some of which are much longer and larger than Siju Cave. Despite this, Siju Cave remains one of the most thoroughly researched and explored systems in the region.

Biodiversity and fauna

Siju Cave is known for its unique biodiversity, hosting a range of species, particularly from the

Arachnida Arachnids are arthropods in the class Arachnida () of the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegaroons. Adult arachnids ...

(spiders and their relatives) and

Insecta Insects (from Latin ') are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed leg ...

classes. Some of the key species identified in the cave include: * Arachnida: Opilionida,

Schizomida Schizomida, also known as sprickets or short-tailed whip-scorpions, is an order of arachnids, generally less than in length. The order is not yet widely studied. E. O. Wilson has identified schizomids as among the "groups of organisms that des ...

* Myriapoda:

Diplopoda Millipedes (originating from the Latin , "thousand", and , "foot") are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derive ...

(millipedes), Decapoda Natantia (swimming crabs) * Crustacea:

Isopoda Isopoda is an order of crustaceans. Members of this group are called isopods and include both aquatic species and terrestrial species such as woodlice. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed l ...

Oniscidea (woodlice) * Collembola:

Entomobryomorpha The Entomobryomorpha are one of the three main groups (order) of springtails (Collembola), tiny hexapods related to insects. This group was formerly treated as a superfamily, the Entomobryoidea. They can be best distinguished from the other s ...

(springtails) * Insecta:

Orthoptera Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – gras ...

(grasshoppers and crickets) The cave is also home to some rare bat species, making it an important site for bat research and conservation.

References

External links

Meghalaya Tourism: Siju Cave
{{Meghalaya-geo-stub Caves of Meghalaya Geography of Meghalaya

History and exploration

Geography and geology

Biodiversity and fauna

See also

References

External links