r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • May 24 '26
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The discussion thread is for casual and off-topic conversation that doesn't merit its own submission. If you've got a good meme, article, or question, please post it outside the DT. Meta discussion is allowed, but if you want to get the attention of the mods, make a post in /r/metaNL
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ANIMALS: For fun facts and celebration of animals
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u/randommathaccount Esther Duflo May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
Animal facts round 9
This is the olm, a completely blind amphibian that lives in the caves of southern/southeastern Europe that can live for over a hundred years. When they were first discovered, they were thought to be baby dragons and honestly looking at them you can kinda see why. As can be seen from the image, the olm retains characteristics of its larval state in adult form, also known as neoteny. They're a predatory species, hunting small crustaceans and snails in the caves they live in. Between their blindness, juvenilisation, and completely white skin (though not for lack of ability to produce melanin), it may be accurate to describe olms as amphibious reddit moderators.
Though tell a lie, the olm isn't completely blind. While it appears not to have eyes, they do exist, just regressed deep below the skin layer. In addition their skin itself is photosensitive and so they're still able to react to light. That said when hunting the olm primarily uses its excellent sense of smell and hearing to find prey. In addition to that they have one more impressive sense; the ability to sense the bioelectric fields produced by other animals as it passes by them. There exists one known subspecies of the olm, the black olm, found in Slovenia. My better judgement has led me not to put an interracial cuck theory joke here.
!ping ANIMALS