Galaxy enclosed

A galaxy enclosed in the Glow worm Cave

A galaxy of stars, small, adorable, luminescent. Locked in a cave in New Zealand . That’s its appeal. A cave where darkness reigns never absolute, which are absorbed by the dark strips and dots of lights hanging from the ceiling like an artificial universe. But it is not. Of course not. Neither is a universe or is artificial. They are simply a limestone cave, full of caves, with one peculiarity: they are inhabited by tiny creatures. I had never been so clear that the minute is not harmless. I speak of worms. Just be an unpleasant taste in our mouth as if we could see the colony of larvae piled in every corner of the cave, but the impression that our host is quite another when we see what they can do these worms. For are not normal worms. They are fireflies. Glow worms. Worms that weave in the dark cobwebs hanging lights. This represents an incredible adaptation of nature. The worms have adapted to the dark and have developed this feature so striking, that nothing is harmless. If you can dazzle our eyes, do not do with mosquitoes and other insects from the cave! There are close and are trapped there because the light is but a mucous thread where anyone can get stuck.

The luminous worm is the larva of the insect Arachnocampa light . Its bright light attracts prey, then trapped with glue and thread the worm removes mucus to get your reward. live in an area full of caves Australian was known only by Maori until 400 years ago. It later revealed its existence. Each of the caves has guides that offer all the necessary information about them and their own history. The cave is popular Glowworm Cave. The first exploration of this cave worms was performed in 1887 by Tane Tirnorau and a year later was open to the public. In 1906 the cave was purchased by the government, but by the end of the century he would return to their former owners.

The cave is a maze of stalactites and stalagmites formed thousands of years. The adventure continues when you get on a boat and sailing you wander through the small river that runs through the cave, Waitomo River. From the peaceful waters, one easily falls spellbound to look up. There, thousands of bright blue spots. As imaginary constellations. They are mosquito larvae. Are glowworms (insects that glow Through bioluminescence). Once developed the larval stage, these mosquitoes do not bite, their only function is to reproduce and perpetuate the species …

The cave attracts every year thousands of tourists who contemplate the phenomenon of lights topped by the darkness of the cave. A place of great natural beauty dominated by luminous larvae. We can never be closer to a minigalaxia with life.