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Duhlata ( bg, Духлата) is a
Duhlata is situated in the south-western area of Vitosha on the left bank of the river Struma near the village of Bosnek,
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. Conven ...
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 Macedo ...
. 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 ...
s.
Location
Duhlata is situated in the south-western area of Vitosha on the left bank of the river Struma near the village of Bosnek, 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.
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 ofspeleothem
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 ...
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 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 ...
species. The stygofauna include 11 Copepods, 2 Amphipoda, 1 Syncarida
Syncarida is a superorder of crustaceans, comprising the two extant orders Anaspidacea and Bathynellacea, and the extinct order Palaeocaridacea. Fifty-nine living genera are known, in six families:
;Anaspidacea Calman, 1904
*Anaspididae Thomson ...
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 – troglofa ...
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) 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.
See also
* Geography of Bulgaria *List of caves in Bulgaria
The list caves in Bulgaria, as of 2002, includes around 4,500 underground formations. The earliest written records about the caves in Bulgaria are found in the manuscripts of the 17th century Bulgarian National Revival figure and historian Peta ...
*List of protected areas of Bulgaria
This is a list of protected areas in Bulgaria which includes 3 national parks, 11 nature parks and 55 nature reserves. The national policy for governing and management of the protected areas is implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Water ...
* List of rock formations in Bulgaria
Citations
External links
* * {{Caves in Bulgaria Caves of Bulgaria Vitosha Landforms of Pernik Province Tourist attractions in Pernik Province