1976-1978 Smithson Valley Spelunking - Grosser Sinkhole and Discovery of Grosser Cave Salamander

Between 1976 and 1978, I made at least three trips down into Grosser sinkhole/cave accompanied by some of my more adventurous Smithson Valley students.  Our first attempt to explore the cave had us squeezing through some very tight spots then walking for a hundred yards or so until we came upon some (what appeared to be) permanent pools of water and low and behold we unexpectedly found an aquatic salamander which seemed similar to other aquatic salamanders that I had seen in springs around the Texas hill country but yet different.  We slipped and slided from one little pool of water to the next. The cave walls were covered in mud and the water was oozing out of the ceiling. The lead person was the only person that had clear water and they saw a couple more salamanders. Our exploration almost ended when the ceiling came down and almost met the water level. There was just barely enough room between ceiling and water to breathe and only if you took off your hard hat and held it in front of you...we were afraid of getting the hats wet and losing our battery powered lights. This maneuver lasted for only 3-4 feet and when you could stand up again, you could hear this loud splashing sound.  We were now walking in what had become a stream of water and the sound was growing louder.  Then we were there, we were at the edge of a waterfall that dropped off below our feet some 30-40 feet. The loud splashing was the waterfall as the water hit a river below. We didn't have the equipment to drop off into the chamber below so this was the end of the adventure for us.  So we just stood there for a long while and soaked in the scene. The memories of that moment ..the river below, the noise of the waterfall, water dripping from everywhere,  contemplating the possibilities of where the river might take us. Subsequent trips into this cave ran into difficulties...couldn't even reach the waterfall due to high water on one trip and on another attempt our rope and harnesses were so caked with mud that we decided it was too risky to drop off at the waterfall....I wish I could remember all the names of all the students that made the trip down Grosser Cave, there were just too many cave trips during these years for me to remember all.... but some students were recorded in photos....John Witte, Tom Rhein, Jim Bob Barker, Roy Miller and Gay Harris.

Now to the Grosser Cave or Evans (I had students learn it as the Evans Salamander).  I immediately recognized that this salamander was similar to the spring and cave salamanders found in this part of the hill country.  The genus name, Eurycea, are all identified by the location that they inhabit. The theory is that this genus had a common ancestor that inhabited the hill country of Texas when it was under water. This genus is aquatic and as the water receded about 100,000 years ago, the salamanders only survived in pockets of permanent water like springs and in caves.  Because at each location, the salamanders were an isolated breeding group...they evolved separately and have certain morphological characteristics that separate them. The ones that have survived in caves, tend to have more pigment loss, eyes are mere spots covered with skin(they are blind),  and a more sloping forehead.
The Grosser Cave salamander is similar to the Honey Creek salamander, and the Schoolcraft Cave salamander.

There is the sinkhole- 30-40 feet deep

Students rigging up for the decent

At the bottom of sinkhole

One last look at the light as we started crawling into darkness

Typical muddy passageway- about halfway to waterfall.

Grosser Cave salamander- notice that eyes are basically just dark spot remnants of eyes

Grosser Cave Salamander - notice slope of head

Grosser Cave Salamander - In all it's glory

Muscling your way out with ascenders