The blind cave 'baby dragon' that can go 10 years without food
Locals once believed this blind, ghostly cave creature was a baby dragon.
Which one is REALLY true about the Olm?
The short version
The olm is a blind aquatic cave salamander from deep European caves, so pale and pinkish people call it the 'human fish.' Its eyes are undeveloped under its skin, so it hunts by smell, touch, and electricity, and it keeps feathery red gills for life. It can survive 10+ years without eating and may live to 100.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Olm lives its entire life in total darkness, in flooded caves deep beneath Europe.
- ✓The Olm is so pale and pinkish that people call it the human fish.
- ✓The Olm is completely blind, with undeveloped eyes hidden away beneath its skin.
- ✓The Olm keeps feathery red gills on the outside of its body for its whole life.
- ✓The Olm can survive more than ten years without eating a single meal, and may live to be a hundred years old.
You could line up about 5 of them along a 7-year-old!
The full story
This pale, ghostly creature lives its entire life in total darkness, and locals once believed it was a baby dragon. Meet the olm, a blind cave salamander that haunts the flooded caves deep beneath Europe. Its skin is so pale and pinkish that people call it the human fish, and its eyes are undeveloped and hidden beneath its skin, leaving it completely blind. Instead of seeing, it hunts using an incredible sense of smell, touch, and even electricity to find prey in the black water. It breathes through feathery red gills that stay on its body for its whole life. But the most amazing part is its patience. An olm can survive over ten years without eating a single meal, and it may live to be a hundred years old. A living ghost from the underworld. Follow for more weird animal facts.
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“The Olm lives its entire life in total darkness, in flooded caves deep beneath Europe.”
“The Olm is North America's only marsupial.”
“The Olm is so pale and pinkish that people call it the human fish.”