Williamson County is home to endangered Karst invertebrates—a collection of insects and arachnids that live underground, including the Tooth Cave ground beetle.
The Tooth Cave ground beetle lives in the city of Cedar Park’s cave preserves, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documents.
Gary Boyd, director of environmental programs for Williamson County, said the invertebrates are the “canary in the coal mine” in that they indicate the quality of the environment underneath the ground.
“It’s not as critical as it used to be [to protect the Karst invertebrates in Williamson County]. … [The species do] give us a reading on what the quality of the groundwater is and what the quality overall of various flora and fauna might be,” he said.
