Just how many caves are there in Wilcox County, Alabama?

Eastern Pipistrelle Bat

I read an interesting article the other day about a man named John Ackerman, who is known as the “Cave Kingpin.” Ackerman has spent millions of dollars buying up all of the known caves in Minnesota, and he is believed to be the largest cave owner in the United States. His main goal is to collect and map these caves in an effort to preserve them for future generations.

The article also mentioned the National Speleological Society, which is the preeminent caving organization in the United States. When it comes to caves, Alabama has some of the most impressive caves in the United States. In fact, the National Speleological Society is actually headquartered in Huntsville.

According to the Alabama Cave Survey, there are more than 4,200 documented caves in Alabama, which is why the state is considered such a “hotspot” for caves. About two-thirds of the state’s caves are located in Northeast Alabama. These caves include some of the state’s best known caves – Russell Cave National Monument, Cathedral Caverns, DeSoto Caverns and others.

Wilcox County is located in the state’s Coastal Plain, which contains the fewest number of caves in the state. That’s not to say that Wilcox County doesn’t have its fair share of caves. The county just doesn’t have as many caves as you will find north of Birmingham in places like Madison, Morgan and Jackson counties.

Perhaps the two best known caves in Wilcox County are Stone’s Cave and Mt. Moriah Cave, which have both been heavily studied by wildlife biologists and conservationists over the years because they are known to house different species of bats. Both of these caves shelter a type of bat called the Eastern Pipistrelle. Also known as the “tricolored bat,” these small bats are major carriers of rabies and can live up to 15 years.

Mt. Moriah Cave is also of interest to scientists because of the unique crickets that live in this cave. These crickets, known as slender-legged camel crickets, are a type of cave cricket that usually spends its daylight hours a short distance inside the cave’s entrance. At night, they come out of the cave to eat whatever is available for them in the surrounding woods.

I’ve always had an interest in caves because they often served as shelters for generations of prehistoric Indians. A good example of this type of cave in our neck of the woods is the large cave at Midway, which is just over in Monroe County, about seven miles south of the Wilcox County line. Another good example is Sander’s Cave in Conecuh County, which also served as a hideout for Joseph Thompson Hare’s gang of outlaws in the early 1800s.

Over the years, I’ve explored a few caves with friends and while I’ve seen a few bats and snakes, as far as I can remember, I’ve never encountered a cave cricket. Those of you who have explored caves will know that this is a potentially dangerous activity. You should never enter a cave alone or without a knowledgeable guide.

In the end, let me hear from you if you have any information you’d like to share about caves in Wilcox County, especially Mt. Moriah Cave and Stone’s Cave. Caves such as these are a natural wonder, and it’s important to document such things for future generations. Also, if you’ve got a good cave you’d like to show me, please let me know because I’m always up for a good field trip.