The
olm or
proteus (
Proteus anguinus) is an aquatic
salamander in the family
Proteidae, the only
exclusively cave-dwelling chordate species found in Europe. In contrast to most
amphibians, it is entirely
aquatic; it eats, sleeps, and breeds underwater. Living in caves found in the
Dinaric Alps, it is
endemic to the waters that flow underground through extensive limestone of
karst of Central and Southeastern Europe, specifically southern
Slovenia, the
Soca river basin near
Trieste,
Italy, southwestern
Croatia, and
Herzegovina.
