Get email notification for articles from Zafrir Rinat Follow Apr. 16, 2021 11:10 PM A cave in central Israel boasts “living fossils” of species that went extinct millions of years ago, but scientists fear that invasive species and a plan to turn the area into a floodwater reservoir will do in the unique scorpions and crabs that dwell there. Living fossils are species that resemble extinct species that are only known from fossils. At Ayalon Cave near Ramle, the researchers want to turn the site into a nature reserve as soon as possible. The 2.7-kilometer-long (1.7-mile) cave sits in the middle of a quarry used by the company Nesher Israel Cement Enterprises. The cave and its species were discovered 15 years ago; since then, only researchers have been allowed in.