POSTOJNA: The strange, slithery creatures inside Slovenia’s Postojna cave were once considered living proof that dragons existed, prompting locals to give it a wide berth.
Now, large crowds from all over the world have been queueing up to witness the extremely rare hatching of the mysterious olms — ancient underwater predators that can live up to 100 years and only breed once in a decade.
Their treat came Tuesday when the translucent larva broke through the delicate egg envelope after four months of nervously monitored gestation.
The birth, caught on live camera, is nothing short of “a miracle,” cave spokesmen said.
“A mere two baby olms successfully hatch from 500 eggs in nature,” they said in a jubilant statement.
Found primarily in Balkan cave rivers, the protected eel-like species has been living in the world-famous Postojna cave, for what researchers say is millions of years.
This week, the tourist attraction became one of the first ever human-controlled environments to successfully breed a baby olm.
Inside a giant hall, the mother and her precious spawn are kept in complete darkness in a covered tank under the continuous watch of a night-vision camera.
On a nearby television screen, visitors can see the miniature eggs spread over a rock. From time to time, one of the embryos stirs ever so lightly.
“It’s one of those moments where you are happy to be alive now and experience such a unique event,” said Saso Weldt, a biologist working at Postojna, one of Europe’s largest caves that draws 700,000 visitors a year.
Rare ‘baby dragon’ hatches in Slovenia
Rare ‘baby dragon’ hatches in Slovenia
