Shelta Cave is a cave and lake located in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

Madison County, Alabama Madison County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 388,153, making it the third-most populous county in Alabama. Its county seat is Huntsville. Since the mid-20th cent ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is described as one of the most bio-diverse caves within the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

. The cave is currently owned and managed as a

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

by the

National Speleological Society The National Speleological Society (NSS) is an organization formed in 1941 to advance the exploration, conservation, study, and understanding of caves in the United States. Originally headquartered in Washington D.C., its current offices are in ...

, with their main offices directly above the cave. It was declared a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in October 1972.

History

This cave was an underground bar and dance hall in the early 1900s.

Speleology and wildlife

The cave is open to members of the NSS during certain times of the year to minimize the impact on the

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

. There are now three sinkhole entrances. The lake can be as large as during the winter and early spring rainy season. Other times of the year, the lake bed is exposed. There are nine species which were first discovered in this cave. The Shelta cave crayfish is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the cave.

Archaeology

In May 2022, archaeologists led by Dr. Matthew L. Niemiller reported the rediscovery of Orconectes sheltae at Shelta Cave for the first time since 1988. They announced that 20 cave crayfish was discovered during 12 of 20 surveys between October 2018 and July 2021. Two of them were identified as Orconectes sheltae. The study demonstrated that the species is not yet extinct as past authors had assumed.

References

External links

Shelta Cave Nature Preserve
Caves of Alabama Geography of Huntsville, Alabama National Natural Landmarks in Alabama Protected areas of Madison County, Alabama Nature reserves in Alabama Landforms of Madison County, Alabama {{MadisonCountyAL-geo-stub