Mermaid Cave Huntin'

A lookout of the bird island Beach. It is said that it is a sacred place for the birds and people are not allowed to get to the "island" The reason why there are so many birds there is that because its food is believed to be living amongst them. 

Hiking down the muddy trail to the caves...

The dense jungle vines are thriving all over the place.

Different arrays of flora welcome us among the pathways...

Little yellow butterflies, which our instructor claims to have only been born a few hours ago, flutter around the area, only to die within 12 more hours. Interestingly, these yellow butterflies are the exact same color of the flowers, providing yet another example of camouflage and a way to protect itself from predators.

The ground was loamy and perfectly porous at the same time, setting the perfect conditions for plants to grow in the wild.

The pathway has several manure droppings on it averaging a size of about 1.5ft, and interestingly, it had several holes in it that housed different kinds of bugs.

The intersection between Kalabera Cave and the pathway to Mermaid Cave.

Entering the Kalabera Cave...

Stalagmites grow withing the walls of the cave. 

At a very musty environment, it was surprising not to have spot or heard any wildlife inside the cave, even some bats. 

                                       Mermaid cave smells of methane gas as you enter it's walls. Humid and comfortable, it provided the perfect temperature conditions for many insects such as spiders, centipedes, and even leeches, to thrive.

Deep roots and vines grow into the cave to harvest the water that has been collected deep in the bottom of the rocks.

Ladder Beach!

A place of isolation and serenity, the Ladder Beach is one of the most picturesque beaches on island, with towering formations of corals, rock, trees, and caves, it shows that it certainly houses several organism and plants in it.

The steep walla of the caves is a run off from rain and river, so there are a lot of plants growing around the water deposits.

A large spiderweb

This spider has nested itself inside the cave and has created a large net to capture moths and flies even in the dark.

A snail burrows itself in a hole in the cave walls.

The rocky formation of the cave walls show a horizontal pattern. 

Dense tangan-tangan trees scatter throughout the beach.

The soil of Ladder Beach.

A Hermit Crab scurries away in fear.

The edge of the cliff in Ladder Beach shows the amount of plants growing where the water runs off.

Interestingly, centipedes were coiled up under the are of the rock where water was dripping from. If you notice the dark area of the rock where moss had even developed, there are tiny centipedes moving around.

And where water drips, there lives the hermit crabs. 

There was this pattern everywhere in places that i found water dripping from under the rocks.

SPOT THE HERMIT CRAB!

Here it is, running away. The hermit crab demonstrates its advantage of camouflage as its shell blends in with the other rocks and debris.

A fallen centipede.

The darker areas in the rocky corals are where water drips from.

Cactus grow in groups along the side of the cave.

Another spider houses itself outside among the cactus.

A moth hiding itself from threat.

Shell fossils mark itself on the walls of the cave, indicating that these caves were once under water. 

A wasp's nest high above the cave walls.

Another recognizable shell formation.

A butterfly relaxes under the shades of a tree, constantly opening and closing its wings in order to absorb heat. Being cold-blooded they need the sun to regulate their body temperature.

The cocoon of a bug. Again, notice that it is almost the same color as the rock it is, demonstrating another advantage with camouflage, but that's not the only defense mechanism it has. This cocoon shows spikes to ward off any predators that might be tempted to eat them. Not given the advantage of running away, they are given traits such as these to protect themselves somehow.