Israeli scientists discover 8 new species

Israeli scientists have discovered an ancient ecosystem containing eight previously unknown species in a lake inside a cave, where they were completely sheltered from the outside world for millions of years.

Photo: Israeli scientists discover 8 new species

The newly discovered crustaceans and invertebrates were found last month in a cave near the city of Ramle in central Israel, team leader Amos Frumkin announced Thursday, reports Forbes.

According to Jerusalem Post , the invertebrate animals found in the cave - four seawater and freshwater crustaceans and four terrestrial species - are related to but different from other, similar life forms known to scientists.

The species, which are estimated to be millions of years old, have been sent to biological experts in both Israel and abroad for further analysis and dating.

The cave, which has been dubbed the Ayalon Cave, is "unique in the world," primarily due to its isolation from the outside world, said Prof. Amos Frumkin of the university's Department of Geography.

"The eight species found thus far are only the beginning of what promises to be a fantastic biodiversity," said Dr. Hanan Dimentman of the university's Institute of Life Sciences.

He added that he expects further exploration to reveal several other unique life forms.

The animals found in the cave were all discovered live, except for a blind species of scorpion.

Despain, the American scientist, said the Israeli find was unusual because the cave was isolated from the outside world and had a unique source of energy.

"There is a similar cave in Romania which is also cut off from the outside though not as deep, which like the Israeli cave also has food sources which come from sulphur compounds in the water. They discovered 20 unique species in that cave," he said.

"It's probably only the second time that an ecosystem of this type has been found intact and functioning. We have indications of similar systems in disused caves but to find them still functioning is extremely rare. They are tremendous laboratories for scientific study," reports Boston Globe.