Date:Mon 6/13/2022 10:14 AM
Happy Monday everyone, it's been a bit since the last one of these, hasn't it? Today we are going to be talking about the olm! My personal favorite relative of the axolotl.
The Olm or Proteus (Proteus anguinus) is a wonderful animal having been described in layman's terms to me once as 'a long, blind axolotl'. Which is true, but there is so much more to them than that! Similar to the axolotl the olm is a salamander known for its inability to ever shed its gills and go to land. They both belong to the Urodela order.
The olm can be found in and around the Dinaric Alps area, and being native to having had its name derived from the German word "Molch" for salamander. It is the only fully aquatic salamander within Europe we have found as of current.
The most remarkable thing about the olm is their cave dwelling adaptations. Due to the oppressive darkness this species is pressed to rid of their vision as it doesn't provide much help, and instead has replaced them with other senses that are better suited for their darkened lifestyle. In their larval stage the olm does grow eyes, but in their young adulthood the eyes regress behind layers of skin. This makes the olm sensitive to light, and they are known to swim away from it, although later testing has proven that the skin itself is also sensitive to light.
The olm is also known for their excellent sense of smell and taste, being able to sense organic compounds within the water. They even possess taste buds both on the upper side of their tounge and within their gills. Even better, despite being fully underwater beasts the olm has the ability to receive sound. This is due to their sensitive inner ear, and they use it to locate prey and predators alike. However, my personal favorite sense of the olm is their ability to weakly sense electric fields. Like sharks, who've been known to use this sense to search for heart beats and the magnetic field of earth to migrate, the olm does this to a lesser degree.
I hope everyone has a good last few days of school!