caverndwellers
Caverndwellers is a term used in folklore, speculative fiction, and speculative biology to describe inhabitants of underground cave systems. The concept covers both legendary beings and imagined sentient species that have adapted to permanently dark subterranean environments.
Habitat and distribution commonly described for caverndwellers include extensive cave networks such as limestone karst systems
Biology and physiology descriptions vary, but common traits in many depictions include reduced or absent pigmentation,
Behavior and social structure in various accounts range from reclusive hermits avoiding surface contact to organized
Interactions with humans appear in lore and fiction as guides, recluses, or adversaries. Encounters typically emphasize
Origin and usage note that the term appears across fantasy and speculative biology literature, sometimes overlapping