Photo of a cave prawn, displayed at the exhibition “Discovered Worlds”
(photo by Dragan Pelić)

EXHIBITION ENTITLED “DISCOVERED WORLDS” OPENED AT THE CRIKVENICA MUSEUM

The exhibition “Discovered Worlds” was opened
under the organisation of the Museum of the Town of Crikvenica. The exhibition
focuses on the archaeological finds (the Crikvenica amphora is one of
a kind in the world!) from Ad turres, as Crikvenica was called in ancient
times, and the findings of research conducted in Vrtare Male Cave located
in Dramalj not far from Crikvenica and since recently under preventative
protection. The Vrtare Male Cave is a unique and exceptionally rich site
of the fossil remains of Pleistocene animals and, as such, it is under
preventative protection as a geological and palaeontological monument
of nature. Research shows that the cave acted as a natural trap, and once
an animal had fallen in, it could not get out again. Up to date, the bones
of cave lions, bears, wolves, elephants, rhinoceros, prehistoric cattle
or bison, horse, deer, rabbit, and several species of rodents and birds
have been identified.

The photographs on display are the work of Dragan Pelić,
a native of Crikvenica, a nature lover and speleologist, who also recorded
the sound track of cave sounds that blends perfectly with the exhibition’s
setting. Kazimir Miculinić, a palaeontologist, also took some of the photographs.
Among the most interesting photos are those of the skull of an extinct
cave lion (Panthera spelaea), and two macro photographs of the subterranean,
blind and pale, freshwater cave prawn (Troglocharis anophthalmus), which
still lives in the cave today.

In addition to the cave prawn, the members of the orders
of sponges, snails, polychaeta, spiders, pseudoscorpions, crustaceans,
centipedes (chilopods), millipedes (diplopods), springtails (collembola),
orthoptera, beetles and two bat species have also been identified. The
most interesting findings include the pseudoscorpion Ronhus insularis,
the spider Troglohyphantes liburnicus and the isopod Alpioniscus strasseri.
Possible new species of the pseudoscorpion Chthonius sp., the beetle Bryaxis
sp. and plankton crustaceans are still under scientific investigation.
The Public Institution “Priroda” intends to display some of
these exceptionally important scientific findings in the field of biospeleology
in its traditional exhibition to be organised in December of this year
on the occasion of International Mountain Day.

The exhibition “Discovered Worlds” will be
open until 11 September 2009 and can be visited daily from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Museum of the Town of Crikvenica,
Petra Preradovića 1, Crikvenica.

The skull of a cave lion is the “trade mark”
of the Vrtare Male Cave (photo by Dragan Pelić)