Question 1

True or false: The cave's temperature stays a constant 54°F (12°C) year-round.

Accepted Answer

True. True. Deep caves are thermally stable, and Mammoth Cave maintains a steady 54°F, regardless of surface weather.

Question 2

True or false: Mammoth Cave is located entirely within the state of Kentucky.

Accepted Answer

True. True. It's in central Kentucky, near Bowling Green, and all known passages are under that state.

Question 3

True or false: The cave contains the world's largest underground lake, known as Echo River.

Accepted Answer

False. False. Echo River is an underground stream, not a lake. The largest underground lake is actually in Croatia.

Question 4

True or false: Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world, with over 420 miles mapped.

Accepted Answer

True. True. It holds the record for the world's longest cave system, and new passages are still being discovered.

Question 5

True or false: The cave's name comes from the prehistoric mammoth bones found inside it.

Accepted Answer

False. False. It's named for its immense size, not mammoth fossils—though some Ice Age bones have been found elsewhere in the cave.

Question 6

True or false: Some sections of Mammoth Cave are home to eyeless, pigment-free shrimp and fish.

Accepted Answer

True. True. Several species of troglobites, like the Kentucky cave shrimp, have adapted to total darkness with no eyes or pigment.

Question 7

True or false: Native Americans mined gypsum from Mammoth Cave for use in gunpowder.

Accepted Answer

False. False. Native Americans mined gypsum for pigments and ceremonial use, but gunpowder was not used in pre-Columbian North America.

Question 8

True or false: Mammoth Cave was used as a tuberculosis hospital in the 1800s.

Accepted Answer

True. True. In 1842, Dr. John Croghan housed tuberculosis patients in the cave, hoping the constant temperature and air would help.

Mammoth Cave Trivia Questions