The Olm – one of the strangest creatures in the World

Our Slovenia and Croatia tour have just had a great sighting of this amazing creature. Olms, cave-dwelling salamanders, have been surrounded by mystery for centuries. Local people often saw the olms after heavy rains washed them from the caves, and believed they were the offspring of ‘cave dragons’. These completely aquatic troglobites are ambush predators, lurking silently and completely still, waiting for some unknowing creature to enter its bioelectric field. During times of plenty, the olm is able to consume considerable amounts of prey and lay down reserves in its liver, to tide it over when food is scarce. In extreme cases, olms can survive for a decade without feeding. 

What is remarkable about the sighting on this tour is that it has hitherto been almost impossible for those without special permits and a high level of speleological skill to encounter these creatures in the wild. Those visiting the Postojna Cave (as we do on this tour) can see a captive population kept for show in simulated natural conditions but otherwise all known Olm sites were in the deep wet dark! Just before the tour we heard about a new place found by local farmers who were willing to show us, and now it seems that it is at last possible to meet these creatures in the wild for those of us who can’t delve into the deepest darkest depths of the Dinaric Alps!