Eight new species discovered in sealed cave

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

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.

“This is a very unique ecosystem that is completely isolated from the surface,” said Dr Frumkin, a cave researcher in the geography department of Hebrew University in Jerusalem.