Publisher ID:
897
Our code:
MC-HR-POC-2013-04-08-3/3
Country:
Publisher:
Croatian Post
Design:
Tomislav Tomić
Printing:
Zrinski d.d.
Stamp value:
4,60 HRK
Date of stamp issue:
Cancelled:
Theme:
Fauna of Croatia - Amphibians
In the member's collection
Proteus anguinus, also known as the olm, is a species of aquatic salamander that is the only exclusively cave-dwelling chordate species found in Europe. It is the only species in the genus Proteus of the family Proteidae. The olm is blind, with undeveloped eyes, and has a fleshy skin color, which is why it is also called the “human fish” by locals. The olm is found in subterranean streams in karst areas of the Adriatic coast from northeastern Italy southward into Montenegro. It is entirely aquatic, eating, sleeping, and breeding underwater. The olm has lost its skin pigmentation due to its cave-dwelling lifestyle. It has a slender, elongate body, averaging 23 to 25 cm in length from head to tail, and has about two-dozen costal grooves along each side. The tail is laterally compressed, with small fins running along the top and bottom. The olm exhibits neoteny, retaining larval characteristics like external gills into adulthood. The diet of the olm consists of small crustaceans, snails, and other invertebrates.