Besides it being one of Montenegro’s most notable natural attractions, offering visitors an insight into an impressive underground landscape, Lipa cave is also home to various species. All of them are divided into several groups and communities, endemic and relicts, permanent and temporary inhabitants… The specific environment of Lipa cave commands patience and slow pace. Hostile and harsh conditions of perpetual darkness, high relative humidity, and limited resources have shaped life where only the fittest survive.

The exploration of Lipa cave dates back to early 19th century. Early research sparked interest among scientists and served as a blueprint for modern scientific community, all of which eventually led to Lipa cave being declared a protected natural resource.

Biodiversity of Lipa cave was produced as a research project, authored by Vladimir Pešić, PhD. The brochure was published in 2018 by Tourism Company Lipa cave Ltd.

The brochure starts off with brief description of Lipa cave as a protected natural resource and goes on to provide a division of underground habitats and cave zones. From then on, the author provides a basic division of communities of cave organisms followed by a more detailed description of underground water organisms’ communities and the adjustment of cave organisms to underground conditions.

Some of the most fascinating pieces of information covered in the brochure are relicts in general, as well as which relicts can be found in the underground world. In addition to that, the author also writes about endemic species and the unique food chain in underground environments with limited resources.

Underground waters of Lipa cave are home to several species of shrimp. One of them is Montenegrin Lipa shrimp, an endemic species found only in Lipa cave. Its scientific name is Bogidiella montenegrina and while the period of its origins is hard to determine, it likely traces back several million years, with its ancestors adapting to unique underground environments over a very long evolutionary history.

This brochure reveals and speaks volumes about capabilities of various life forms, their adaptability, and necessity of evolution. We invite you to witness the unforgettable underground world of Lipa cave end experience an evolution of time, space, life, and human thought.

For those who wish to read and learn more, the brochure is available on Lipa cave website at the following link, and a copy can also be found at the National Library of Montenegro “Đurđe Crnojević” in Cetinje.