Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 2 hrs ago
Dropped Cheetos bag drew fungi and insects to Carlsbad Caverns
In summer 2023, a visitor dropped a bag of Cheetos in the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.
The cave’s high humidity softened the processed corn, helping fungi and microbes grow around the snack.
Cave crickets, mites, spiders and flies gathered there, creating a temporary food web around the spill.
Caves have little food because sunlight cannot support plant growth, so an unexpected food source can affect the organisms living there.
The park described an impact in one patch; there is no evidence the whole cavern changed.
Rangers carefully removed the food and nearby mould, taking about 20 minutes.
Carlsbad Caverns limits food inside its caves, and visitors are expected to take litter back out to protect the cave.
A visitor dropped a bag of Cheetos in Carlsbad Caverns’ Big Room in New Mexico in the summer of 2023.
Humidity softened the snack, helping fungi and microbes grow and attracting cave crickets, mites, spiders and flies.
The growth created a temporary food web around the spill, but the park documented no change beyond that patch of cave floor.
Rangers spent about 20 minutes removing the snack and growth, using a toothbrush to clean nearby surfaces.
The incident prompted a reminder that visitors should not leave food or litter in the caves.
- Who
- A visitor dropped the Cheetos bag; park rangers later cleaned up the spill.
- What
- The snack encouraged fungal and microbial growth and attracted small cave organisms.
- When
- Summer 2023.
- Where
- The Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.
- Why
- The cave’s humidity softened the processed corn, providing nutrients for fungi and microbes.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A visitor dropped a bag of Cheetos in the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns.
Rangers spent about 20 minutes removing the snack and cleaning mould and fungi from the affected area.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park described the dropped bag in a social media post.
National Park Service official Joseph C. Ward discussed the spill’s effects in an interview with KCRW.
- Location
- Big Room, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
- Incident
- A visitor dropped a bag of Cheetos in summer 2023
- Organisms attracted
- Cave crickets, mites, spiders and flies
- Cleanup time
- About 20 minutes
- Social media post
- September 6, 2024
3 sources
Stranger dropped a bag of Cheetos in America's largest caves, disrupting an entire ecosystem. It attracted
In 2023, a visitor dropped a Cheetos bag in Carlsbad Caverns’ Big Room in New Mexico; it triggered fungal
Someone Dropped A Bag Of Cheetos In Carlsbad Caverns. Rangers Found A Food Web Growing On It
What people are saying
The processed corn, softened by the humidity of the cave, formed the perfect environment to host microbial life and fungi.
At the scale of human perspective, a spilt snack bag may seem trivial, but to the life of the cave it can be world-changing.
The critters that live in caves have adapted to that environment.