Cave and Karst Word Searches

Cave and Karst Word Searches

Posted on Friday, April 3, 2020, by Hubert Heck

Find words related to caves and cave life in these fun Cave and Karst Word Searches. Missouri is known as the Cave State, boasting more than 7,500 caves and counting.

Can you find all the cave and karst related vocabulary words?

Print out or save these Cave and Karst Word Searches to brush up on your vocabulary.

Ozarks Limestone Word Search

The Missouri Ozarks has a special kind of landscape called karst.

With all the rolling hills, streams and valleys the Ozarks has to offer, there are also plenty of caves, springs, sinkholes and losing streams. These are all typical features of a karst landscape. Karst features connect the surface with aquifers below. Like a cistern or a water storage tank, aquifers are underground water supplies found within permeable rock.

Caves in the Ozarks are formed out of soluble rock, like the Limestone of Fantastic Caverns.

When water seeps into the ground it slowly dissolves soluble rock. In much of Missouri, water is able to dissolve or break down soluble rocks, such as limestone and dolomite. As water enters cracks and crevices within the rock, it erodes and hollows out passages, creating cave systems.

Adventure Word Search

It is important to protect caves and keep the unique cave life safe.

In the Ozarks, caves were created by the movement of water through soluble rock. And caves play an important role in how water moves across the karst landscape. What happens on the surface of the earth can affect the very delicate ecosystem below. Caves are sensitive to pollution. Foreign materials, such as pollutants and debris, can pass through a cave with water. Pollutants that find their way underground can contaminate entire cave systems and the water we drink. It is important to remember “what goes down, comes back up.” When caves become threatened, it is usually due to surface activity. Caves are important habitats or homes for all kinds of unique and sometimes endangered animals; such as blind cavefish, salamanders, blind crayfish, and bats.

Speleology Word Search

The two bat species likely to be found in Fantastic Caverns are Tri-colored Bats and Little Brown Bats, but unfortunately, Little Brown Bats are very rarely spotted and vulnerable to extinction. There are fourteen species of bats found in the Ozarks.

The Missouri Ozarks, with all its caves, hills and hollows, are home to fourteen species of bats. All of the bat species found in the Ozarks are insectivorous (in-sek-tiv-er-uh s). In other words, they eat bugs. Some of their favorite snacks are moths, beetles, mayflies, and mosquitoes. White Nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused bat populations to decline, but there are some encouraging signs that bat populations might be rebounding and building an immunity to WNS.

Bats of the Ozarks Word Search

Here are some of the bats found in the Ozarks.

  • *Little Brown Bat
  • *Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat
  • Townsend’s Big-eared Bat
  • Big Brown Bat
  • *Silver-haired Bat
  • Eastern Red Bat
  • Hoary Bat
  • *Southeastern Bat
  • *Gray Bat
  • *Eastern Small-footed Bat
  • *Northern Long-eared Bat
  • Tri-colored Bat
  • *Indiana Bat
  • Evening Bat

*endangered, threatened, vulnerable or imperiled species

Latest Blog Posts

The latest about our Missouri cave, and other Fantastic Caverns news.

Ozarks Cave Explorer's Club
Travel and tourism are inextricably part of the fabric of the Ozarks’ culture and economy. And caves have been a part of the tourism industry in the Ozarks for a very long time. Find a list of caves in Missouri and Arkansas participating in the Missouri Caves Association’s Ozarks Cave Explorer Passport Program.
Discovered by a Dog
Fantastic Caverns is pet friendly. Fantastic Caverns was discovered by an Ozarks farmer, or more precisely, by his dog. While tracking an animal, the famer's bloodhound disappeared into a small hole at the base of a bluff.
Build Your Own Terrarium and Monitor Water Quality
Stormwater run-off can easily pick up pollutants and cause erosion. Plants and trees help filter stormwater run-off and prevent erosion. The water flowing through the lower levels of Fantastic Caverns, began as stormwater on the surface. Create your own terrariums and monitor water quality.
Create Your Own Cave Confections
Create your own cave treats following these simple recipes. Caves provide habitats for unique species. Make your own edible cave habitats in the form of hollow meringue cookies or dessert rolls.
Cave and Karst Picture Finds
Find cave animals in these photos. The karst terrain of the Ozarks provides habitat for unique life. There is a very delicate ecosystem beneath our feet.
Create Your Own Aquifer in a Cup
Create your own miniature aquifer in a cup. The limestone present in the Ozarks has cracks and voids that allow water to permeate and pass through it. Water flowing through the limestone passages of Fantastic Caverns, began as rainwater.
Create Your Own Crystals
You can easily grow your own crystals using sugar, salt or alum. Many crystals are minerals, and occur naturally. Minerals are the building blocks of rocks, like the limestone of Fantastic Caverns.
Make Your Own Limestone Fossil Sugar Cookies
You can find fossilized remains of ancient creatures within the limestone of Fantastic Caverns. Create your own limestone-inspired fossils in the form of sugar cookies.
Create Your Own Cave in a Cup
Create your own cave. As water flows beneath the Earth's surface it dissolves and erodes the rock, forming the cavities that become caves.
Health and Safety at Fantastic Caverns
The health and safety of our guests are top of mind as we continue to offer our memorable ride through cave experiences. We have increased the frequency of our everyday health and safety protocols and procedures, and we are taking precautions to keep everyone safe and healthy.
The underground fleet
Climb aboard the underground fleet at Fantastic Caverns and explore the world beneath your feet. Touring Fantastic Caverns by Jeep drawn trams helps preserve the cave. America's Ride Thru Cave may not be inhabited by humans but the cave system does have a thriving ecology of small critters that call it home.
America's ride thru cave
Missouri caves are well known as the most beautiful caves to see in North America and Fantastic Caverns ranks #1 by many. It's America's favorite ride-through cave attraction and uses their signature red Jeeps to drive you around through the cave.
Phone: 417-833-2010
Fax: (417) 833-2042
Fantastic Caverns
4872 N Farm Rd 125
Springfield, MO 65803
Trip Adviser certificate of excellence for Fantastic Caverns