For example, it has a very good sense of smell, can sense very tiny vibrations in the water, has incredible hearing and can even detect electrical fields that prey might give off. They are predatory and primarily hunt small snails, bugs and crabs that also live in the cave systems. One cool fact is that in older times people used to think olms were baby dragons due to their unique dragon-like appearance.
I was amazed to see this creature! I normally prefer larger animals like bears, wolves and lions, but this little creature was one of the weirdest, coolest and most unique animals I have ever seen. It looks like something from another planet and how it survives in complete darkness is super interesting to me.
The olm is found in the limestone Karst cave systems along the Mediteranean coast in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lives its whole life in the underground rivers and streams in these caves, deep underground. It retains its larval gills its entire life, so it never has to get out of the water. One of the most famous of these caves is a huge fifteen mile long system known as Postojna Cave. I got the chance to go visit this cave system and travel deep underground to see the olm in its natural habitat. In fact, scientific study of the olm in Postojna Cave led to the birth of the field of speleobiology (cave biology), and the very first lab was found inside of Postojna.
