Koutouki Cave, Show cave in Peania, Greece.
Koutouki Cave is a show cave near Peania featuring a main chamber of roughly 60 by 60 meters naturally divided by limestone formations into separate sections. The cave interior opens into these distinct areas, each shaped by water and mineral deposits over time.
Koutouki Cave was discovered by chance in 1926 and mapped in 1954 by Ioannis and Anna Petrocheilou. The current 17-metre artificial entrance was cut in the 1960s to ease visitor access, and the tourist route now runs 350 metres.
The cave's name, Koutouki, is the Greek word for a small hollow or cavity. Ioannis and Anna Petrocheilou mapped the cave in 1954, and the endemic cave cricket Dolichopoda petrochilosi is named after them. A spider new to science, Sulcia kratochvil or Sulcia kanellisi, was also identified here.
Visitors enter through an artificial tunnel and can join guided tours lasting about 20 minutes in Greek or English. Wear sturdy shoes as paths are uneven and can be slippery from moisture.
The cave holds 55 columns, the tallest 7.2 metres high near the natural entrance, a 38-metre shaft in the roof. The spider Sulcia kanellisi was first recognised here, and the cave cricket Dolichopoda petrochilosi lives inside.
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