Waitomo Glowworm CavesThese limestone caverns full of bioluminescing larvae with saliva and excrement hanging from the ceiling wasn't disgusting at all.
Actually, the limestone caves were quite beautiful. Stalactites and stalagmites, quiet, cool, serene, spiritual. No echo. The limestone absorbs the sound.
And then you climb in a boat for a soundless ride on the underground river with your head pinned back to gaze at the worms.
The Glowworm Life Cycle
The female fly lays 120 eggs. After 20 days, the larvae hatch. After hatching, the larvae hang a nest - sticky lines of saliva with droplets of bioluminescent excrement to attract and trap insects. After fishing with poo for months, they undergo metamorphosis and become adult flies. The flies live, mate, and die within a day or two. They don't have a digestive tract so they starve to death. And the cycle continues...
The result of this vile evolutionary practice is an amazing constellation way better than any collegiate dorm room decorated with glow-in-the dark stickers.
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