NSS Convention 2026

The U.S. Cave Animal of the Year (CAOTY) program began in 2020 is our country's entry into what is now a global celebration of cave biota each year. NSS Conservation Division CAOTY Team Members started this important program to help educate the general public about the diversity and unique adaptations of life underground. Our NSS CAOTY TEAM decides on a representative troglobitic, troglophilic, or trogloxenic species each year and promotes the winner in the NSS News Conservation Issue, on the NSS website at https://caves.org/conservation, and by creating stickers for sale in the NSS Bookstore. This year, every Convention attendee will receive a CAOTY sticker in their registration packet. The stickers serve as a critical marketing tool, to generating interest and awareness of the annual species to cavers and the general public. Commercial show caves can become Cave Preservation Network partners and purchase CAOTY stickers and sell them in their gift shops furthering our education mission. Proceeds from these stickers pay for the stickers themselves and go back into conservation outreach efforts. This year, the team selected the Slimy Salamander! While the genus Plethodon includes dozens of woodland species, the 2026 Cave Animal of the Year focuses specifically on the Slimy Salamander complex (Plethodon glutinosus group). These salamanders are among the most frequently encountered amphibians in eastern U.S. caves. Although they lack the extreme cave adaptations of troglobionts, Slimy Salamanders function as classic troglophiles—regular cave users that move freely between surface forces and subterranean environments. Come to this session to learn more about the dynamic and beautiful Slimy Salamander!