Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. That’s because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are plenty of creatures living inside.
“There's a small colony of bats in there,” said William “BT” Price, who owns the land.
Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. Now, he's a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.
The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly pushing the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are separated by inches.
“It can be very dangerous -- very, very dangerous -- if it's not done right,” said Price.
Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: fossils.
“Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,” said Kurt Menking, who has helped Price discover the fossils.
Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of a Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.
Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like 10-foot-tall, 8,000-pound sloths.
Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of a few professionals to verify the recent discovery.
“Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. Probably went extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,” Meissner said.
Experts like Meissner said it’s very rare to find fossils in Texas, especially animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.
“It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be like 10 to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change in the environment here,” Meissner said.
Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he’s dubbed “Twinkie’s Cave,” named after his fiancée’s dog.
Price’s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the cave to either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology organizations that have seen funding cuts due to budget woes.
