Hypogean fauna
Caves and tunnels are inhabited by very specialised organisms that, over the centuries, have developed characters that make them particularly suitable for this environment. Most of these animals are invertebrate: anellida, molluscs, insects, crustaceans and arachnida, sometimes also amphibians, reptiles and some species of blind fish. These creatures have no eyes or breathing apparatuses. They breathe straight through the pores that compose the tissue that coats their body. To “observe” the surrounding word, they have very sensitive relation organs all over their bodies. The hypogean environment is saturated with humidity and has a constant temperature. The animals that live there are used to consuming as little energy as possible. This is why their reproductive cycle is much slower than that of the other animals: for instance, they lay few, but very large, eggs.
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The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
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From the Multimedia section
Facts
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Ant and fish activities
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