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The T.V. crew asked Tobias, Jennifer & Sally if they wished to continue the adventure for
the sake of the viewing audience. Tobias magnanimously agreed, and the twins followed suit. The host advised that
under pressure from the NSS, CRF, ACA, BCI, SCCI and several conservancies, they decided to air a conservation-oriented
episode. To that end, they offered an immunity challenge: the first of the remaining three contestants to correctly
identify a species of bat would gain immunity from elimination.
"Great!" they all cried, relieved that another life-threatening episode was not around the corner.
"Come with us, then," the host said, and he led them on a 1-hour hike through the jungle to a helicopter.
They enjoyed a low-level flight over the Yucatan peninsula, pockmarked with sinkholes and occasional small villages.
The joy ride did not last long, for when they landed in Cancun they boarded a bus, and drove for 30 hours to an
undisclosed location. Another 1-hour hike over semi-arid, almost desert terrain led them to a small, almost dry
river. They enjoyed a meal of tapioca and beans, and as the sun set, they readied themselves for sleep under the
stars. As they arranged their gear, they noticed with delight a few bats flying overhead. No, a dozen or so. Wait,
make that 100…200…thousands…maybe millions, making a dark cloud that slowly snaked its way toward the horizon.
An awesome sight it was. The host joined them and said, "OK, can you identify the species of bat flying over
you?"
Tobias and the twins looked at him incredulously, and yelled unanimously, "Mexican freetail!" Sally chided,
"You're kidding, right? Everyone knows what those are. What kind of contest is that?"
 X
"Well, uhh, we thought the average viewer would like to see them. OK, you asked for it;
we'll give you a bigger challenge. Pack up and get moving."
So they trudged 1 hour back to the bus and rode it for 30 hours back to Cancun, then south along the coast. Upon
stopping they got off, stretched, and hiked to a spring not far from the beach. There they found all of the former
contestants, the TV crew, and a lot of scuba diving equipment waiting for them.
"OK, get into those wet suits, put on those BC's & tanks, dive into the cave about 300 horizontal feet
to a dropoff, then descend just past the density interface. Try to find some little tiny centipede-like creatures
in that area. If you find some, catch one in this jar, and the first one to return with the correct identification
wins the Surveyor Cave contest.
"Whoa, that counts me out," Tobias said. "I'm not certified for scuba diving, and certainly not
qualified for cave diving. But that's OK. I've had my fill; I'll let the twins have their shot at the prize."
At that announcement, the twins looked at each other and made a mad dash for the gear. Within minutes (after fighting
over one of the regulators), they disappeared with a splash.
One hour later, they re-surfaced, kicked off their flippers, and pushed at each other as they ran to the host.
"Speleonectes," Sally blurted out between gasps…"tulumensis," Jennifer completed the species.
"Of the remipede class of crustaceans. We learned about them from Dr Yager at (looking at the camera) the
February meeting of the Dayton Underground Grotto in Dayton, Ohio." Sally stepped in front of Jennifer, and
continued for the camera, "Yes, we meet at the Galand studio the second Sunday of each…"
The camera panned over to Tobias, who added: "Dr Yager said that they have been finding these new species
around the Bahamas, Cuba, & Mexico. Is that right?" he asked.
"To be honest, we don't know if Speleonectes tulumensis is the actual species," the
TV host said. "But Tobias, you are correct. These things are being found in caves where fresh water meets
the salt water. It's really neat. Now here's some more good news." He turned to Sally and Jennifer. "The
host council has unanimously agreed: You both get the prize for your trials and tribulations during the last few
months underground. We were hoping that you two would have to fight over just one waterproof compass; a good catfight
would have made our ratings skyrocket. However, we have those organized cavers breathing down our necks, so we'll
wrap this up with a conservation message."
Turning back to the camera, he continued. "Here's the sad news: Expanding tourism is upsetting the ecological
balance of these caves. It's not enough for the tourists to lie around on the beach; now they're diving in the
caves. Why, even the fish from the ocean follow the divers in and eat the cave life."
"So we contributed to the problem." Sally somberly stated.
"Well, yes, but we're taking the message to the viewing public to raise awareness of the situation."
Turning to the camera, the host continued, "…and you can help. Send your tax deductible contributions to "Save
the Caribbean Basin Sub-Density-Gradient Fauna Foundation. The number appears on your television screen. Call now,
because for the first 50 callers, we have a special…"
---
 On the
long bus trip home, the reunited contestants lamented over the adventures they had been a part of over the months
and, in contrast, their dull jobs back home. Vertical caving, dynamite, floods, skeletons, new species. In truth,
none of them wanted to go back home. "Hey, you could all move to Dayton and join the grotto!" Jennifer
exclaimed. "Then we could go caving all the time!"
And some of them did.
As for Oztotl: He was apparently appeased due to the conservation message. His revenge has been
avoided…for now.
Credits
Information on the remipedes: Jill Yager at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH.
http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/fauna/remipedes/C_haptodiscus.html
Yager, J. 1981. Remipedia, a new class of Crustacea from a marine cave in the Bahamas. Journal of Crustacean Biology,
1(3):328-333
Yager, J. 1987. Cryptocorynetes haptodiscus, new genus, new species, and Speleonectes benjamini, new species, of
remipede crustaceans from anchialine caves in the Bahamas, with remarks on distribution and ecology. Proceedings
of the Biological Society of Washington, 100(2): 302-320
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Oztotl logo adapted from the Association for Mexican Cave Studies (AMCS)
http://www.amcs.org
http://www.cavetexas.org/oztotl.htm
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Bat cluster picture: http://www.rozylowicz.com/retirement/carlsbad/carlsbad-bats.html
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