Anyone who has been to Yosemite knows the park is a dynamic place. From waterfalls to rockfalls, the park’s landscape is always changing and forming new habitats for thousands of plant and animal species.
Discovering the Pseudoscorpion
Throughout millions of years, rockfalls have lined the base of Yosemite Valley with jumbles of boulders and smaller debris that form “talus” caves. In 2010, park biologists discovered a new pseudoscorpion species, called the Yosemite Cave Pseudoscorpion, crawling within these talus caves. About the length of a fingernail, this arachnid resembles a true scorpion but does not possess a stinger or tail. The pseudoscorpion is so adapted to the darkness of its cave habitat that it doesn’t even need eyes!
Continuing to Explore Cave Habitat
This Conservancy-funded discovery is exciting for scientists as they continue to explore other remote regions of the park for undiscovered species. Park biologists have made these rockfall caves a priority for further exploration of additional pseudoscorpion species.
Thanks to your dedicated support, we contributed vital funding for important fieldwork that led to the discovery of a new species.