Today we went to a limestone cave on Isla Colón. After a long walk to get there, decked out in our headlamps and trail gear, we were greeted by a narrow entrance into the rainforest, complete with a flooded trail to the cave. The cave itself was made entirely of ancient coral, churned up by geological activity over the years. Calcium carbonate dissolved by acidic rain creates stalagmites and stalactites, and carves the cave out of the coral.
Getting into the cave was a very tight squeeze. We crawled through natural tunnels on our hands and knees, while being hugged by the cave walls around us. Right after crawling through the mud on the cave floor, we discovered that it wasn’t actually mud: it was entirely bat guano! At the first chamber of the cave, we were introduced to a smattering of Orange Nectar Bats (Lonchophylla robusta). As we entered the next chamber, our line of sight was literally clouded by flying bats. They would often brush our shoulders as they flew by. There were four kinds in total: the Orange Nectar Bats, Greater Sac-Winged Bats (Saccopteryx bilineata), Seba’s short-tailed Bats (Carollia perspicillata), and Vampire Bats (Desmodum rotundum). We also saw cave crabs, a spiny rat, cave crickets, and a whip scorpion. Even the most scared of our group were able to overcome their fears and appreciate the untampered natural beauty of the cave and its residents.
–Naomi and Joey 🙂