Duhlata ( bg, Духлата) is a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

situated in

Vitosha Vitosha ( bg, Витоша ), the ancient ''Scomius'' or ''Scombrus'', is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Conveni ...

mountain, western

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

. With a total length of 18,200 m, Duhlata is the longest cave in the country. It was declared a natural monument in 1962. The cave is home to six species of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

Location

Main de Tangra dans la grotte de Duhlata

Duhlata is situated in the south-western area of Vitosha on the left bank of the river Struma near the village of

Bosnek Bosnek ( ) is a village in western Bulgaria, located in Pernik Municipality of Pernik Province. It is known as the gateway for tourism into the karstic landscape of the Vitosha massif area. The village is downstream from a famous spring, called ...

Pernik Province Pernik Province is a province in western Bulgaria, neighbouring Serbia. Its main city is Pernik, and other municipalities are Breznik, Kovachevtsi, Radomir, Tran, and Zemen. Population Pernik province had a population of 133,750 according ...

. The entrance of the cave is located at the very road between Bosnek and

Chuypetlovo Chuypetlovo ( bg, Чуйпетлово, "Hear the rooster") is a village in the Pernik municipality of Pernik Province, western Bulgaria. Its population is 57 as of January 2007. Chuypetlovo is the only settlement in the interior of Vitosha Mou ...

Description

The name of the cave originated from the sounds of the wind through its entrance, from Bulgarian ''духам'' (transl. ''duham''), meaning ''to whistle''. Duhlata is 18,200 m long and 53 m deep. The cave is well studied and mapped and boasts great diversity of

speleothem A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on ...

s. Duhlata is one of the most complex cave systems in Bulgaria and was created by underground currents of the Struma River. It is a maze of tunnels, galleries, underground lakes, waterfalls and sinter formations situated at seven levels. There are six subterranean rivers. It is home to 22 species of known animal species, including six

species. The

stygofauna Stygofauna are any fauna that live in groundwater systems or aquifers, such as caves, fissures and vugs. Stygofauna and troglofauna are the two types of subterranean fauna (based on life-history). Both are associated with subterranean environments ...

include 11

Copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...

s, 2

Amphipoda Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far desc ...

, 1

Syncarida Syncarida is a superorder of crustaceans, comprising the two extant orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of o ...

and 1

Acari Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

species, and the only species of the

troglofauna Troglofauna are small cave-dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings. Troglofauna and stygofauna are the two types of subterranean fauna (based on life-history). Both are associated with subterranean environments – troglofaun ...

is the

pseudoscorpion Pseudoscorpions, also known as false scorpions or book scorpions, are small, scorpion-like arachnids belonging to the order Pseudoscorpiones, also known as Pseudoscorpionida or Chelonethida. Pseudoscorpions are generally beneficial to humans sin ...

''Neobisium kwartirnikovi''. The diversity of worms (

Nematoda The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhabiting a broa ...

Oligochaeta Oligochaeta () is a subclass of animals in the phylum Annelida, which is made up of many types of aquatic and terrestrial worms, including all of the various earthworms. Specifically, oligochaetes comprise the terrestrial megadrile earthworm ...

), snails (

Mollusca Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

) and seed shrimps (

Ostracoda Ostracods, or ostracodes, are a class of the Crustacea (class Ostracoda), sometimes known as seed shrimp. Some 70,000 species (only 13,000 of which are extant) have been identified, grouped into several orders. They are small crustaceans, typical ...

) has not been studied. Access to the cave is restricted. Duhlata can be visited only by researchers or experienced cavers with permission by Vitosha Nature Park Directorate.

Citations

External links

* * {{Caves in Bulgaria Caves of Bulgaria Vitosha Landforms of Pernik Province Tourist attractions in Pernik Province

Location

Description

See also

Citations

External links