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Benthic Zone
Cave & Subterranean Waters
Underground aquifer, cave stream, and cenote systems - dark, isolated waters that generate blind, pigmentless species over evolutionary time.
Depth: 0-1,000m Light: None
📖 Overview
Cave and aquifer waters host some of the most bizarre fish on Earth. Given millions of years in darkness, cave fish independently lose eyes and pigmentation. The Mexican blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) is a model organism for understanding regressive evolution. Yucatans cenotes are cave systems in porous limestone housing endemic blind fish. Slovenian olm - a cave amphibian - is a related celebrity of subterranean biology.
🌿 Ecology
Limited food from surface. Chemosynthesis where possible. Extreme specialisation to darkness.