World's largest underwater caverns unveil Mayan artifacts, ancient giant sloth

Following 10 months of exploration, January marked a historic discovery for researchers with the Great Maya Aquifer Project, who found a connection between two complex and expansive underwater cave systems in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

The flooded cave system not only boasts the record for world's longest, flooded cavern, but is also a treasure trove of ancient artifacts from Maya culture and extinct animals.

Researchers found fauna including proto-elephants and a giant sloth that date back nearly 15,000 years to the last ice age, according to a recent report from National Geographic.

The team discovered a connection between the Sac Actun and Dos Ojos underwater caverns, which is now on record as the largest known flooded cave in the world.

The cave stretches more than 215 miles in length, according to the GAM researchers, who announced their findings in January.

"This immense cave represents the most important submerged archaeological site in the world," GAM director Guillermo de Anda said in the January announcement.

"It has more than a hundred archaeological contexts, among which is evidence of the first settlers of America, as well as the extinct fauna and, of course, of the Maya culture."

The project's exploration director, Robert Schmittner, dedicated more than a decade of his career searching for this connection, according to the GAM project report.

Prior to the discovery, the Ox Bel Ha System, south of Tulum, was the world's longest submerged cave, measuring 167 miles in length.

Before the link was found, Sac Actun was roughly 163 miles, while the Dos Ojos system was mapped at 52 miles. Dos Ojos will be added to the Sac Actun system, losing its name as it is part of the larger network in Quintana Roo.

"This is an effort of more than 20 years, to travel hundreds of kilometers of caves submerged in Quintana Roo mainly, of which I dedicated 14 years to explore this monstrous Sac Actun System, " Schmittner said in the report.

The team's discovery has unearthed 120 archaeological artifacts including ceramics, etchings, a shrine to the Maya god of war and human remains dating back nearly 9,000 years, according to National Geographic.

The cave also houses a large reserve of fresh water, supporting a biologically diverse ecosystem, opening it up for further study.

"The next phase of this ambitious project includes the analysis of the water quality of the Sac Actun System, as well as the study of the biodiversity that directly depends on this aquifer and, of course, its adequate conservation," the team said in January.

In addition, the team stated they plan on continuing mapping the underwater cavern systems and providing a detailed record of the archaeological finds uncovered as they move forward.

The Sac Actun, located in Quintana Roo, is within very close proximity to three other underwater cave systems, all near the municipality of Tulum.

However, north of Quintana Roo, there are roughly 358 submerged cave systems and flooded passages, according to a report from the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey.

The Great Maya Aquifer Project will continue to explore these flooded caverns in hope of finding connections between Sac Actun and other, currently independent, underwater systems near Tulum.

In addition, the GAM exploration group has also registered another system during their explorations. They discovered a new system with a length of 11 miles, which they have dubbed "the mother of all the cenotes."

This cenote, or natural sinkhole, is located north of Sac Actun and boasts a maximum depth of 65 feet.

"The mother of all the cenotes, is for the moment an individual system but the GAM team is very close to connecting it with the Sac Actun System, too," GAM stated in their report.

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