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Olm

Proteus anguinus (anguinus)


Where is it found?

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Picture
Underwater freshwater lakes and streams often found in caves.

Diet and foraging method

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Olm's use a combination of chemoreceptors, electroreceptors, and mechanoreceptors to locate and capture prey.
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Key adaptations

Olms have highly specialised non-visual sensory systems, in order to navigate and find prey in the darkness. They can detect chemicals, electric fields and water displacement.

Social organisation and mating system

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Lives in groups
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Polygynous

Did you know that...?

When Olms are exposed to light, their skin turns colour from creamy pink to dark violet-black, and this reverses when it is returned back to darkness. They are thought to be able to live for over 100 years!

Taxonomy

Picture

Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"P anguinus1" by Arne Hodalič - Author's own work. Uploaded with permission.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P_anguinus1.jpg#/media/File:P_anguinus1.jpg
"P anguinus-head1" by Arne Hodalič - Author's own work. Uploaded with permission.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P_anguinus-head1.jpg#/media/File:P_anguinus-head1.jpg
"P anguinus-head" by Arne Hodalič - Author's own work. Uploaded with permission.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P_anguinus-head.jpg#/media/File:P_anguinus-head.jpg

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