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Read The STORY


Read The STORY
Photo Information
Copyright: Radu Xplorator (Xplorator) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 657 W: 57 N: 1500] (7671)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-05
Categories: Cnidarians
Camera: Nikon CP 8800
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-07-27 3:57
Viewed: 1594
Points: 26
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
There is really no category for this picture! First, my apology for the quality of this photo but here is why:

This is inside of a cave, fairly popular, named Meziad in the region of Transylvania, north-western Romania.
The giant Meziad cave, almost five kilometers long, boasts one of the largest, most active colonies of bats in Eastern Europe. In its most densely populated section, apprehendedly named “The Grand Bats Hall” you can easily guess that its royal floor is one hundred percent covered in guano, all the way to the knee or deeper for the off track visitor. For those whom are new to this word, guano basically stands for bat poop, which is known for its fantastic nourishment capabilities and used as a very potent natural fertilizer. But back to the story:
As we were going looking at the ceiling, fascinated by the chirping tons of moving bats, we felled into a horrific trap, it wasn’t the fact the fact that I was sinking waist deep in rancid dejections, it was the fact that the famously rich feces of guano were home to tens of thousands of slimy oversized gigantic earthworms, three feet long or more included !!! I have one of the strongest stomach you will ever encounter but that moment my whole testosterone level crumbled and I felt panic, pure panic, half buried in the dark in dejections filled with creepy gigantic, snake sized maggots crawling on me, sneaking inside my rubber boots gliding on my bare feet, while above me stands only a colony of about one million cave-happy Transylvanian bats. Horrible feeling, I swear! Yukkk!
But my brother pulled my out with a caving static rope, getting out much in a fashion of pulling a Jeep out of deep mud. It took me a minute to come back to my senses after the shock, (don’t laugh you might’ve have a stroke instead!!!)
As a revenge I pulled a few anacondas placed them in a discarded jar and have my dad use them as fishing bait, worked miraculously.
Nobody in a sane mind can comprehend the natural mutation that can take place in nature due to a change in the ecosystem: vegetation- abundant insects – cave bats – guano plenty – earthworms – natural mutations.
It is almost like the story of the Kodiak grizzlies that become so large because of the abundance of Alaskan fish in that island and pretty much towered any fellow of the same specie from somewhere else.
Alex_Strugariu, blakitan, pvs, horia, aido, sAner, jmp, pilonm, navnith, manyee, Betty, shirgold has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Toucadoo: ReXplorator 1 08-02 05:08
To blakitan: CoolXplorator 3 07-28 08:03
To manyee: reXplorator 1 07-28 06:36
To sAner: size doesnt matter... says who?Xplorator 1 07-27 18:00
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Radu.
Interesting story, thanks for sharing it.

Andrea

Hy,
Not a great picture, but what a story!
TFS
Alex

Hi Radu,
First I think these are regular earthworm, but after reading your note, I am really, really surprised if the size of these slimy creatures reach 3 feet length.
Greatly captured.

Ben Lakitan

  • Great 
  • pvs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1168 W: 261 N: 3035] (13835)
  • [2006-07-27 5:25]

Hi Radu,

After reading your story,you can be proud that you dared and manage to take a shot of this worms,thanks for sharing this picture and amazing story,

Paul

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2171 W: 218 N: 4383] (14900)
  • [2006-07-27 5:30]

UUUUUU! Scary story! Indeed one worth reading.
Oricum si poza e buna, tinand cont de lumina din pestera.
Am vazut si eu o data o asemenea rama. Initial, de la distanta, am crezut ca era sarpe. Mergea pe asfaltul proaspat udat de ploaie. Cand m-am apropiat un pic, mi-am dat seama ca e o rama de vre-o 50-60cm...am fost foorte uimit.
Nici nu vreau sa ma gandesc ce reactie as vi avut daca erau vre-o cateva sute...
Bravo si TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-07-27 5:49]

Hi Radu,
You went to great lengths to bring us this photograph :-) I was in Transylvania in May (Brad and Deva), luckily I didn't have the opportunity to wander into this cave! Very interesting note, I can imagine the panic that hit you at that moment. Interesting shot too, complements the note very well and gives us some idea of what you were swimming around in. Great post.
Cheers,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1490 W: 72 N: 1427] (4744)
  • [2006-07-27 7:01]
  • [+]

What a great story Radu!! TFS! It would have been good if you would have put something in the photo for reference. Now, the worms just look like normal sized worms.

Regards,
Pieter

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1740 W: 95 N: 2273] (8411)
  • [2006-07-27 8:05]

Hi Radu,
This is the cycle of live! What an strong experience!
TFS, José M.

Hello Ram,

Earthworm (as any living creature)also deserve to be photographied. But how to photographied them in order to make them cute! You failed in that goal here, my friend ;-) Seriously, what an incredible story!!! It should smell very bad too! Earthworm of 3 feet long: I will even not tell my girlfriend that such a monster exist! Thank you for the picture and the note!

Michel

Hi Radu,
Good capture with an excellent note.
TFS
navnith

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3065 W: 231 N: 6160] (21048)
  • [2006-07-28 12:03]
  • [+]

Hello Radu,
That could only happen to you. : P
Great story, though I wish I had not read it right before going to bed.
The stuff of nightmares. : 0
The shot is actually very good, with sharp details and good light.
I totally enjoyed your "adventure". Thank you. : )

Well the picture is nice and clear for a cave shot. The gruesome story makes this even more exciting "Tales from the Guano Pit!". I can see you and Arnold Schwarzenegger directing an episode together. :)

Hi Radu,
My points sure go to the note, you did make me laugh a lot
Thanks for that !
Shir

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