Natural Trap Cave, Pit cave in Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming, United States
Natural Trap Cave is a pit cave in the Bighorn Mountains with a vertical shaft about 85 feet deep and a roughly 15-foot-wide opening. The shaft descends into chambers holding numerous fossil remains.
Scientists began studying this cave in 1970 and conducted extensive excavations. These efforts uncovered over 30,000 specimens of extinct North American animals.
The site matters to researchers who study its sediment layers to understand how climate and environment changed from the ice age to today.
The cave is cold and very humid, with temperatures staying well below 50°F, so visitors need warm and waterproof clothing. Access requires a permit from the Bureau of Land Management and specialized equipment.
The cave functions as a natural pitfall that preserved animal bones from about 20,000 years ago. Remains found here include mammoths, extinct American cheetahs, and short-faced bears.
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