📷 Achim Raschka · CC BY-SA 3.0
📷 Arne Hodalič
📷 Arne Hodalič
IUCN: Vulnerable
Olm
Proteus anguinus
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassAmphibia›OrderCaudata›FamilyProteidae›GenusProteus
About
The olm is a blind, pale salamander that spends its entire life in underwater caves, breathing with external gills. It can go years without food, live nearly a century, and lay eggs only every decade or so, making populations extremely slow to recover. Local legends once described it as a baby dragon; today pollution of groundwater and cave disturbance are its main threats.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Underground lakes and streams of Dinaric karst caves
🍃Diet Carnivore — snails, insect larvae, and crustaceans
📏Size & Weight Body 25–30 cm
•weight 15–20 g
⏳Lifespan Over 50 years; possibly over 100
🗺Range Cave systems of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and nearby Dinaric karst
AmphibianSalamander
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Underground lakes and streams of Dinaric karst caves
🍃Diet Carnivore — snails, insect larvae, and crustaceans
📏Size & Weight Body 25–30 cm
•weight 15–20 g
⏳Lifespan Over 50 years; possibly over 100
🗺Range Cave systems of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and nearby Dinaric karst
Photo Credits
#1Achim Raschka · CC BY-SA 3.0
#2Arne Hodalič · CC BY-SA 3.0
#3Arne Hodalič · CC BY-SA 3.0
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