Who else lives in our house?

If you were a scientist in biology, would you spend your time in a museum, or in dark caves where you might find new species? David Steinnman prefers to go into the caves, along with his wife and eleven-year-old son. Here is the new species of daddy long-legs he discovered recently in one of Colorado's more than 1000 caves.


The new Colorado daddy longlegs species Scelerobunus steinmanni. (Photo courtesy of David Steinmann)

Bruce Finley writes:

Shiny orange with yellow stripes, their pea-sized bodies connect spiked legs up to an inch long. These arachnids are the latest of more than 100 that biologist Dave Steinmann has captured over 20 years while exploring caves and using special magnification glasses. Two years ago, Steinmann found a new millipede in a mountain cave near Eagle.

"It takes looking really closely, turning over the right rock," said Steinmann, 48, a volunteer associate at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science who also works as a consultant for wetlands restoration.

"This matters because we know of one planet in one solar system that houses life, and we know only a fraction of the species," said Paula Cushing, the museum's curator of invertebrate zoology. "Who else lives in our house? It's important to understand the biodiversity that exists on this planet."

Venturing into caves, "I sometimes feel anxious to get back out. But sometimes I feel at peace, enjoying it and that nobody on earth is going to bother me," Steinmann said.

Scientists see potential benefits in learning how arachnids evolving deep inside caves can survive on very little food. Some can live for up to two years without food.

Read more here.