wildlife in caves

[Bob Smith]

Last year we encountered a small mouse descending the wire on the side of an electron ladder. He seemed quite happy enough but didn't look to keen on the ascent, so we popped him in a tackle bag and carried him to the surface. Upon release he made a break for the largest darkest hole he could, alas.

 

[footleg]

I have seen many alive frogs at the bottom of Hazard mine entrance shaft and spotted no dead ones around the same place. This is a fall of 80m and they seem to routinely survive

Maybe like rats, the terminal velocity of a frog is not fast enough for them to be seriously injured on impact?. So they can survive falling any distance provided they don't land on anything too nasty?

 

[Burt]

The smaller a thing is, the less hard it will hit the ground. Something to do with Mass x G.

 

[paul]

The smaller a thing is, the less hard it will hit the ground. Something to do with Mass x G.

No - it's to do with relative air resistance. In a vacuum a feather and a car will both take just as long to fall to the ground.

We were sitting around in Slovenia a few years ago when there was a SPLAT. We were surprised, but so was the dormouse which had fallen from the telephone cable above us and landed on the tarmac! After a few seconds of mutual, surprised staring, the dormouse ran off!

 

[LarryFatcat]

This one

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26111121@N08/2589889627/was 'rescued' from Moorfurlong Mine a few weeks ago. 
There were plenty of small insects at the bottom of the entrance pitch which I assume it could eat. 
I was inclined to leave it but my 'better half' felt it had the right to roam and find a mate.

 

[andymorgan]

The smaller a thing is, the less hard it will hit the ground. Something to do with Mass x G.

No - it's to do with relative air resistance. In a vacuum a feather and a car will both take just as long to fall to the ground.

We were sitting around in Slovenia a few years ago when there was a SPLAT. We were surprised, but so was the dormouse which had fallen from the telephone cable above us and landed on the tarmac! After a few seconds of mutual, surprised staring, the dormouse ran off!

No- you're thinking of acceleration due to gravity - things of different masses will hit the ground at the same time. The object with the larger mass will hit the ground with more force, and depending on the animal this force may not be enough to cause injury. Anyway I'm sure a physicist will give a better/more correct answer!