Vjetrenica cave in Bosnia on the list of UNESCO heritage sites

(ANSA) - ROMA, 26 LUG - The Vjetrenica 'wind cave' in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been included in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. It is the largest cave in the country within which a great variety of species lives. Vjetrenica is located near the village of Zavala, in the municipality of Ravno, in southern Herzegovina. It is a cave in the Dinaric Alps mountain range. In the hot periods of the year, a strong current of cold air blows from its entrance, which contrasts with the heat and dryness of the surrounding rocky terrain. The cave has been explored up to a length of approximately 6.3 km. Based on soil analysis, geologists hypothesized that this tunnel could extend to the Adriatic Sea through the coastal strip belonging to Croatia, 15-20 km from its entrance. This hypothesis could not be verified due to a huge scree which blocks the possibility of continuing further. Vjetrenica has great underground biodiversity with almost two hundred different species that have been recorded in the cavity, especially underground aquatic fauna. It is home to a number of globally threatened vertebrate species and the world's only subterranean tube worm as well as a diversity of plant species endemic to the Balkans. (ANSA).