Cave wildlife
Bats are the most common cave animals in Africa, but they are not the only ones.
Who uses the caves
Most animals found in caves do not live there all the time. Bats roost in caves by day and feed outside at night. Their droppings bring in the food on which other cave animals depend.
A few species live only underground. They are usually blind and pale, and many are known from a single cave.
Fruit bats and insect eaters
The Egyptian fruit bat roosts in caves in colonies of thousands. Unlike most fruit bats it can find its way in the dark by clicking its tongue and listening for the echo.
Bats pollinate trees and eat large numbers of insects. Disturbance at roosts is a serious threat to them.
Elephants and crocodiles
On Mount Elgon, elephants walk into caves to eat salt-rich rock. In the caves of Ankarana in Madagascar, crocodiles live in underground rivers and shelter there in the dry season.
A catfish from one cave
The golden cave catfish is known only from one flooded cave in northern Namibia. It has no working eyes and very little pigment. The whole population is thought to number a few hundred fish, and falling groundwater threatens it.
In pictures
Select a photograph to enlarge it. Authors and licences are listed in the photo credits.
