A National Natural Landmark
Tumbling Creek Cave was designated a National Natural Landmark by Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus in 1981. Among the reasons for the designation was the recognition that this cave contains the most diverse cave fauna known from any American cave located
west of the Mississippi River.
The National Natural Landmark Program is administered by the National Park Service and recognizes sites with outstanding biological and geological resources. The National Park Service encourages conservation of these sites and works cooperatively with landowners and managers to promote the appreciation of our nation’s natural heritage.
Tumbling Creek Cave has the Most Diverse Cave Fauna of any Known American Cave West of the Mississippi River
Elliott (2007) published a major article on the zoogeography and biodiversity of Missouri caves. Despite over 25 years of additional studies of cave fauna, Tumbling Creek Cave still retains the recognition of having the most diverse cave fauna of any known American cave west of the Mississippi River. Elliott (2007) noted: “Tumbling Creek Cave ranks first in Missouri for species richness (115 species), number of troglobites (12) and site endemism (2.9154), giving it an overall Biodiversity Value of 4,023.25.” The Biodiversity Value for Tumbling Creek Cave (Elliott 2007) is more than twice that for the second place cave in Missouri.
Since 2007, an additional 14 species have been observed in Tumbling Creek Cave. This brings the total count of species observed in the cave to 129. Not all species observed in Tumbling Creek Cave are strictly cave species. Some of the more surprising observations include an alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminickii), copperhead snake (Agkistrodon contortrix), and beaver (Castor canadensis).
