Imagine that on our planet there were creatures that look like baby dragons, creatures that almost no one has seen outside their underground world. Well, recently they have managed to bring them out. They are a type of salamander called olms, and they have the scientific world fascinated. They live underground but were captured coming out to the surface, something very, very rare as we tell you, and now they have been able to review everything about these little animals that look like axolotls but are not! How they live, how they behave, and what relationship they have with their environment.
For decades, these salamanders had been little more than ghosts. Almost invisible animals, confined to damp caves, aquifers, and underground areas where total darkness reigns. But… is it not strange to see them now? Maybe because they are adapting to new temperatures, a climate change… or maybe they just wanted to take a walk.
Olms
Elongated bodies, almost translucent skin, thin limbs… and a mythological air that makes them look like small dragons. Those who were documenting the moment could not believe it because they did not expect to encounter them, and even less to see them move like that.
And these animals are incredible. They have poorly developed eyes because they live in absolute darkness and a pale color so as not to draw attention, which is why it is so incredible to have seen them outside the underground. One of the things that fascinates most is that in the past, many believed that the larvae of these animals were actually dragon eggs.
Made to not be seen
These salamanders normally live in extreme environments, deep caves, hidden aquifers, spaces where the temperature barely changes and light does not exist, and that isolation has shaped their evolution for thousands of years.
And no, them coming to the surface now is not something normal or common, and not reassuring either. For many scientists, it is a clear sign that something is altering their home and pushing them to explore places that, in theory, do not belong to them.
What are these dragons?
They belong to a group of extremely specialized, rare, and vulnerable amphibians. They grow slowly, reproduce little, and survive in conditions that other animals could not withstand.
Some breathe through their skin, others can live for decades with very few nutrients. They are true prodigies of adaptation and, at the same time, very sensitive indicators of environmental health.
And their behavior?
Until now, there had been no records of these salamanders visibly moving across the surface, so researchers believe it could be due to changes in underground water levels, chemical alterations, or even modifications in soil structure.
Does environmental change have something to do with it?
Most likely. Many scientists believe that this phenomenon could be related to broader environmental changes, variations in rainfall, soil warming, nearby human activity.
A warning
These salamanders could be sending a warning signal, without noise, simply coming to the surface because their environment is becoming increasingly hostile. Something similar has already been seen with other amphibians, which often act this way to warn that things are not going as well as we think.
How many more species like this are there on the planet?
You can imagine it. How many things do we still not know about our own planet? These salamanders may be key to understanding how invisible ecosystems are responding to climate changes.
Our planet is unpredictable and there are still thousands of things happening beneath our feet. So it is time to also remember how important it is to protect these habitats before they disappear, because when they are lost, there is no turning back.