Distribution range

Tiny cave animals that jump relentlessly, either on the pile of guano or on steady water surface, can only be springtails. On the ventral side of the abdomen springtails have a special structure, called the furca – a kind of jumping spring, which propels them into the air – which is an effective way to escape predators. However, some springtails have lost their furca and the ability to jump.

Springtails are small hexapods measuring up to a few millimeters in size. In subterranean habitats they are often very abundant, there can be hundreds present on a single flooded piece of wood.

Like many subterranean groups, springtails have traditionally been neglected as a research subject. This diverse group still conceals many undescribed species that exhibit different adaptations to subterranean microhabitats. The most unusual “monsters” among them with large claws on their legs luckily only reach a few millimetres in size. The claws are used to walk on water surface, exploiting the surface tension of water.

Due to their jumping, springtails are difficult to catch not only to their predators but also for speleobiologists – it is easiest to catch them with an exhaustor (sort of “vacuum cleaner”) which sucks them directly into the vial. Another very efficient way to catch them is by using a moist brush or finger, so that the animals get stuck onto it.