The Mulu Caves are part of the remote Gunung Mulu National Park in the State of Sarawak, Malaysia. Situated in the heart of Borneo, the Gunung Mulu National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to some of the most diverse species of birds, plants, animals and marine life in the world.
Gunung Mulu itself is a 7800ft (2377m) high sandstone pinnacle that is not only surrounded by caves, but also dominates the spectacular National Park landscape. The Mulu Caves are the world’s largest network of caves. The Sarawak Chamber, at an astounding 230 feet (70m) high, 2300 feet (700m) long and 1310 feet (400m) wide is the largest cave chamber in the world. The caves, cliffs, gorges and rock pinnacles are limestone formations dating from between 17 and 40 million years ago.
The earliest recorded reference to the caves was in 1858, when an explorer attempted to climb Gunung Mulu. In 1932, Shackleton managed to reach the summit and in 1961, members of the Malaysian Geological Society began to explore the caves. After the Royal Geographical Society visited in 1977-8, further large-scale expeditions were undertaken and as recently as 2011, 30 km of new caves were uncovered.
There are four major cave systems in the park, including the Clearwater Cave System, which is the longest and home to the 100km Clearwater Cave. The Benarat Caves are 31mi (50km) in length; the Terikan Caves extend to 20.2mi (32.5km) and at 9.6mi (15.5km), the Cobra/Bridge/Cloud Caves are the smallest of the major cave systems. The caves themselves are home to unique fauna and flora that has adapted to live in this unusual environment. In addition to highly evolved insects with long feelers instead of eyes and Racer snakes that catch their food as it flies past, inhabitants include numerous species of bats, spiders and white crabs.
Credit : Beautiful World
Picture Credit : Google
