These sensitive creatures live in caves and can be found in Central and Southeastern Europe. They are a type of salamander, which lives in total darkness.  They are listed as vulnerable due to habitat destruction.  Water pollution and the terrain above their caves being changed can alter the chemistry of their environment.  They are not quick to adapt, so the population decreases.

What are some facts?

• Olms are 100% aquatic.
• They are blind, but have acute senses of hearing and smell.  They also use electro-sensitivity to find prey.
• They typically lack pigmentation.
• Their skin is translucent, which means their organs are visible from the outside.
• A subspecies called ‘Black Olms’ live near Slovenia and get their name from their coloration.
• It has three toes on its front legs and two on its back legs.
• Olms are also called proteus, cave salamanders, white salamanders, and human fish.
• Their exact location are the underground caves and pools of the Dinaric Alps.
• They swallow insect larva, small crabs, and snails whole.
• Olms have teeth that create a barrier to prevent large pieces of food from falling out of their mouths.
• After eating a lot, they can store nutrients in their livers in case food becomes scarce.
• An Olm can go 10 years without eating by reducing their metabolic activity and reabsorbing their own body tissue.
• They retain the frilly gills and tail fins of their larva stage.
• Olms can live 68-100 years, which makes it the longest living amphibian.
• They were once thought to be baby dragons.

Some pics and videos from the Internet: