Post by L Roebuck on Jul 19, 2007 20:35:11 GMT -5
One year later, 'Noah's Ark' cave is no longer a safe haven
By Ofri Ilani
When researchers first entered the Ayalon Cave which was discovered in March 2006 near Ramle, they were surprised to find a species of eyeless troglobite, or blind scorpion, that orients itself through a motion sensor organ located on its abdomen.
"This species completely lost its eyesight, which necessitates the conclusion that it existed in the dark for a very long period," says zoologist Gershom Levy of The Hebrew University.
It soon emerged that the blind scorpion is not only a species previously unknown to science, but also the sole known representative of a previously unknown family of the scorpion order,- a fairly rare discovery.
"The presence of scorpions in this subterranean space attests, perhaps for the first time, to the isolated existence, beneath our world, of a fabric of life of a relatively high level of complexity," Levy explains.
The new scorpion was given the scientific name Akrav israchanani, named for its discoverers, Israel Naaman and Dr. Hanan Dimentman.
Full Article
By Ofri Ilani
When researchers first entered the Ayalon Cave which was discovered in March 2006 near Ramle, they were surprised to find a species of eyeless troglobite, or blind scorpion, that orients itself through a motion sensor organ located on its abdomen.
"This species completely lost its eyesight, which necessitates the conclusion that it existed in the dark for a very long period," says zoologist Gershom Levy of The Hebrew University.
It soon emerged that the blind scorpion is not only a species previously unknown to science, but also the sole known representative of a previously unknown family of the scorpion order,- a fairly rare discovery.
"The presence of scorpions in this subterranean space attests, perhaps for the first time, to the isolated existence, beneath our world, of a fabric of life of a relatively high level of complexity," Levy explains.
The new scorpion was given the scientific name Akrav israchanani, named for its discoverers, Israel Naaman and Dr. Hanan Dimentman.
Full Article
