Baby Boom in Postojna Cave

More than Forty-five is the number of eggs laid by our female olm in the last two weeks, which is more than the number of eggs laid two years ago. 

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At present, all of the eggs are under a rock, where the olm took to immediately after the other olm specimens had been moved from the aquarium.

An infrared camera is our latest addition, which provides a revealing insight into the life of Slovenia's most famous animal family. "What is he/she up to when the lights are turned off" is not just what many parents wonder about, but the scientists who are keeping an eye of the olms as well.

Our two biologists still visit the aquarium at least three times daily; as for visitors' access to the aquarium, it has been somewhat restricted to make sure the camera flash of the curious visitors, who do not abide by the rules, is not too stressful for the olms or her eggs. The infrared camera recordings reveal the secrets of the olm's reproduction even when we are not anywhere near. The recording shows a visible bulge on the abdominal part of the olm's body. The olm gets attached to the surface where she is about to lay an egg, and after 20 minutes the egg is laid. Some eggs show signs of breaking open, which means that the olm's young are very likely to hatch from them.

Cave visitors can watch the olm live on a special screen inside the cave. While our two biologists are keeping an olm diary, a website for live coverage of the olm family is also being set up, which will soon allow all of you to watch the "darkest" family show.

 

Olm Diary

 

Photo:

Infrared camera recording prtscr
Photo of Proteus laying eggs by Iztok Medja for Postojnska jama.

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