a cave in the United States, near Louisville, Ky. One of the world’s largest karstic caves, it is a complex five-tiered system of cavities in a stratum of horizontally bedded limestones. The explored part includes 225 corridors, 47 lofty domes, and 23 deep pits. The cave has 74 km of explored passages; there are underground rivers that are connected to the Green River system. Blind crickets and spiders inhabit the cave, and blindfish and blind crabs are found in its waters. Mammoth Cave is a tourist attraction.