Over 10,000 years of occupancy

In 1975 the archaeological excavation of the entrance porch demonstrated that the cave had been occupied from time to time periods. It was settled by successive waves of mainly farming populations serving as a short-term camp or refuge in times of invasion. Nowadays, the cave is occupied by carnivorous or detritivorous species (invertebrates feeding on the remains of dead animals or plants). There are also bats and insects such as diplurans, spiders and crustaceans (niphargus and waterlice). These species have adapted to this hostile environment, totally devoid of sunlight, undergoing depigmentation, losing their sight, endocrine system, lacking in regulation. The underground flora (fungi, algae, bacteria) plays a part in their survival.