Talk:Proteus anguinus
Description[edit]
The olm (Proteus anguineus) is a worm-like amphibian dwelling in the caves of Slovenia. They are rarely sighted because of their elusive nature. When it is though, it will not retaliate, as it has no natural enemies on its own. Little is known of the olm; the person who discovered it thought he had found a baby dragon. Locals knew it as the "Human fish", referring to its skin colour.
The olm is strange in that it has gills, like a fish, and a pair of lungs, suggesting that it can also breathe on land. It is blind- eyes will be useless where it is pitch-black all the time- and rarely eats. It is said that the olm can live for 100 years.One expreiment showed that it can survive for more than 12 years without food at a temperature of -4 degrees centigrade. But when the olm was dissected after its refridgeration, its digestive system had disappeared. Almost nothing is known of its reproduction.