A 79-year-old man has lived in a cave in northern Argentina for 40 years.

Pedro Luca survives without running water or electricity in his cavern high in a mountain in northern Tucuman province.

When he gets hungry he picks up his rifle and goes hunting or heads on a three-hour trek down the mountain to the nearest settlement of San Pedro de Colalao.

A creek is his main source of water. "It's the purest, richest water there is," he said.

His cave mates are 11 roosters and two goats that roam the mountainside during the day and return at night looking for shelter from pumas and other predators.

Luca has become a legend in San Pedro de Colalao and town dwellers often give him food and supplies.