Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park

When you visit our cave at the Lake of the Ozarks you may or may not have the privilege to see some cave life on your tour. Bridal Cave has a variety of animals inside the cave including cave salamanders, pickerel frogs, cave crickets, and of course bats! It is not uncommon to see a bat flying around your tour and many folks seem to be a bit frightened when they see these tiny creatures flying around. Bats are a vital part of our ecosystem and do so many great things for us! Today, our outdoor attraction at the Lake of the Ozarks would like to clear up a few common misconceptions about bats! Bats Fly in Hair  If you see a bat flying around in the cave it may appear like they are about fly right at you and maybe even land in your hair! Bats don't make nests and are aware that you are there and won't bother you during your tour. As many of you already know, bats hang upside down to roost. When they are ready to take off, they will drop down and flap their wings before fl...

Cave Salamander There is life inside of Bridal Cave , but much of it is rarely seen.  When you walk through one of mid-Missouri's most scenic cave tours , you are only viewing a small portion of the vast cave that lies beyond.   Biospeliology is the study of organisms that live in caves.  These scientist have provided us with lots of information about the living organisms that live both in and around caves in Missouri.   Biospeleologists seperate the things that live in caves into three categories:   Troglobites - Organisms that would not be able to survive for very long outside of the cave.  (white and blind cavefish, millipedes, crustaceans (crayfish, isopods, and amphipods) and planaria) Troglophiles - Those that live in caves, but are not restricted to them.  (pigmented amphipods, isopods living in cave streams and cave pools, fish that move up streams into caves and many insects) Trogloxenes - Anything that spends a large portion o...