How long can an olm live?

Olms are thought to live up to around 100 years, and can survive as long as a decade without food by dramatically slowing their metabolism.

Why is the olm called the human fish?

Its translucent, pale-pink skin resembles human skin tone, earning it the folk name 'human fish' (čovječja ribica) in the region it inhabits.

Index / Living Fossils / Olm

Living Fossils · VU Vulnerable

Olm

Proteus anguinus

It can survive up to a decade without food, may live to 100, and locals once believed the ghostly creatures washing from caves after floods were baby dragons.

VU · Vulnerable

Overview

The olm is a blind, cave-dwelling salamander from the karst waters of southeastern Europe — pale pink, permanently larval, and capable of living for a century.

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Field data

IUCN status	VU · Vulnerable
Population	Unknown; fragmented and declining across a limited karst range
Trend	decreasing
Last assessed	2023
Class / Order	Amphibia · Urodela
Family	Proteidae
Size	~20–30 cm (8–12 in)
Lifespan	Up to ~100 years
Range	Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy (Dinaric Alps)

Why it matters

Evolutionary distinction

Retains larval features for life (neoteny) — keeping external feathery gills and never metamorphosing into a land form.
Has skin-covered, non-functional eyes; it 'sees' instead through acute smell, hearing, and sensitivity to electric and magnetic fields.
Can endure up to ~10 years without eating by slowing its metabolism to a near standstill.
May live around 100 years — extraordinary longevity for an amphibian of its size.

Record

Timeline

1689Described after floods wash specimens out of caves — rumoured to be dragon young.
1768Formally named Proteus anguinus by Josephus Laurenti.

From the collection

Take one home

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art print

Olm art print

Museum-grade art print from the Olm plate.

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notebook

Olm notebook

Museum-grade notebook from the Olm plate.

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Common questions

FAQ

How long can an olm live?: Olms are thought to live up to around 100 years, and can survive as long as a decade without food by dramatically slowing their metabolism.
Why is the olm called the human fish?: Its translucent, pale-pink skin resembles human skin tone, earning it the folk name 'human fish' (čovječja ribica) in the region it inhabits.

Sources