Scientists estimate that there are roughly 8.7 million different species in the world. That's a huge number that can be very hard to comprehend. Most interestingly, all of these different species have adapted to utilize their environments in different ways, leading to many unique and sometimes crazy looking animals. One of the most interesting animals I have ever seen that is perfectly adapted to its environment is a blind salamander, called an olm, found in the caves of Slovenia.
One of the coolest creatures found in Slovenia, other than bears, of course, is a small salamander called an olm or a proteus. This amphibian lives in the vast cave systems found throughout southern Slovenia. In fact, it spends its entire life submerged in the underground streams and rivers in these caves, so it has some very unique adaptations to that lifestyle. An olm averages about 8-12 inches in length, with a snake-like body and small appendages, so it's pretty large for a salamander. It moves in an eel-like motion, swimming through the water. Its skin is not pigmented because it lives in complete darkness, so its color is a pinkish white. Most amazing, though, is the fact that the olm has no eyes and is blind! Living in complete darkness, this animal has unique senses to compensate for this loss of sight.
