#blind salamander

[herpsandbirds]

One Texan to another, have you ever posted about the Texas Blind Salamander (Eurycea rathbuni)? We don’t know if they have predators, but i think it’s kinda funny that if they do, there’s a chance it’s a fish from the genus Satan.

Oh yes, We have done a little something about our special texas friend. Here you go...

Texas Blind Salamander (Eurycea rathbuni), family Plethodontidae, found in cave systems near San Marcos, Central TX, USA

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.

Endangered due to groundwater pollution and removal.

photograph by Joe N. Fries & Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

[artoffleeks]

O TO BE AN OLM

Personal art. O to be an olm. #furryart #mastoart #art #vectorart

Posted using PostyBirb

[amphibianaday]

day 1504

[fivipididooda]

Inktober Day 7 - Blind

Splitting inktober 3 ways again this year with the Weird Eye Collective on instagram

[bobcat-pie]

HOWM'ST THE FUCCCCCK DID IT TAKE ME THIS LONG TO LEARN ABOUT THE TEXAS BLIND SALAMANDER

I HAVE BEEN OBSESSED WITH OLMS FOR YEARS KNOWING THAT I'LL PROBABLY NEVER SEE ONE SINCE I DON'T HAVE THE WILL TO TRAVEL TO SLOVENIA. BUT THERE'S AMERICAN VERSIONS OF OLMS PRODUCED BY CONVERGENT EVOLUTION.

WHAT A WORLD!!!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD!!!!!!!

[fallout-lou-begas]

biting this, biting that. believe me that i love biting but have all you dykes and fags heard of licking, also

[linseedling]

teasers for book 2

[pushing500]

Our caravan was viciously ambushed by... two lil' munchkin cats. They were no match for Laursen, and our nomads continued on their way without any issues.

Until...

They were ambushed again! This time by a pair of terrifying... blind salamanders. These ones were dealt with by none other than our favourite lucky charm, Shamrock the donkey. A hero for sure!

Finally, we arrived at a lovely stretch of grassland where we decided to settle down for a few weeks to resupply. Don't they all look adorable camping out around their ominous obelisk? I wish I could draw scenery better. I'd love to be able to paint this up in a pretty oil-painting scene. Still, the screenshot itself is cute enough. <3

First | Next | Previous

[badolmen]

you are not the first and I can’t blame you.

As punishment for your crimes you are thrown into the Labyrinth to be a living sacrifice to the Minotaur that lives inside. However nobody seemed to put together that since he is half bull; the Minotaur is actually a vegetarian.

[artoffleeks]

Droog

Olm art for Swamp_Jaws (Artfight)

Posted using PostyBirb

[amphibianaday]

Old or Texas blind salamander please :>

day 1235

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for using my coping strategy even though it inconveniences my Roomates?

I (22 M) and my 4 roomates (21-24 F) all share an apartment with 1 kitchen, 5 rooms and 2 bathrooms. We tend to get along but we argue over the bathrooms more than we’d like

They tend to take a long time to get ready in the mornings, and I tend to take a long time at night because of my coping mechanism.

Basically once or twice a week, I take a few edibles, turn off all the lights, and shower while on the floor in complete darkness, rolling around in soap. I call this my Olm time after the blind cave salamander. I basically roll around in all the soap and just pretend I’m a little cave dwelling salamander while high as shit, and then rinse off and crawl out of the shower and head to my room.

It’s like meditation. I go to a completely different state mentally. This is the only thing that has significantly helped me with stress, while allowing me to incorporate all of my self care duties into my routine. Becoming one with the Olm is my only option.

My roomates don’t know about Olm time but they have realized I take a while in the shower some nights, and they have tried to argue by saying that everyone needs to get ready for bed too. I’ve told them that they take a really long time in the mornings, and I often have to brush my teeth in the kitchen sink because the bathrooms are basically locked from around 6:30-8:45 every day because of how long they take.

Basically they’re all pretty frustrated with me and I’m pretty frustrated with them. That self care time is pretty much what keeps me going through really hard days, and they don’t seem to get that, even when they tell me how important their getting ready time is for them in the mornings. I don’t know if I’m being an asshole or if I’m genuinely standing up for myself here. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[sunrisetune]

[ID: Tumblr tags replying to the post. "#I used to teach spelunking to 9 year olds it's So fun trust me, #the Power of a cave nap. like tight corner cold mud you get knocked out and feel like you slept 8h in 15 minutes

#the time dilation of being in a cave is the unsettling part. you are in there for what feels like 15 minutes and it's been 6 hours".

/End ID].

caving as an extreme sport is sooo unfathomable to me why are u as a creature of the daylight doing that. were u born without the dread in ur bones or something

[bobcat-pie]

something about axolotls just makes the most fucked up characters. good job, keep going

[herpsandbirds]

Olm (Proteus anguinus), family Proteidae, far NW Italy

This aquatic salamander is neotenic/paedomorphic (retaining juvenile traits - ie. gills and other aquatic adaptations)

Found only in karst rock cave systems with ample water in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Hercegovina, and far NW Italy.

Also called the "human fish", proteus, and white cave salamander.

Olms are blind, but have excellent sense of smell and hearing (for a salamander).

photograph by Matteo Di Nicola

[wolvesandcomputers]

The Blind Cave Hippocampus

Image Description: A drawing of a hippocampus that looks like a fetal horse on the front and a cave salamander on the back. The image is surrounded by notes on the creature. The notes read:

The dark spots are vestigial eyes that can sense changes in light.

The textured feet help it grip wet rocks.

Blood vessels, bones and organs are visible through the hippocampus’ thin hide. A layer of mucus offers some protection to its sensitive skin, but they are rarely out of the water for long and cannot tolerate direct sunlight.

They have no teeth

It breathes clouds of heavier than air gasses that it uses to kill its prey. This is an instinctive reaction they cannot be trained out of. Anyone attempting to handle them must use safety gear.

Once its prey is dead it drags the carcass into the water and wedges it under a rock until it has decayed enough to be mostly liquid. Then the cave hippocampus slurps up its meal.

A Blind Cave Hippocampus can go several years between meals, much longer than other species of hippocampus.

An explorer approaches a pool containing a cave hippocampus. Protected by a respirator and bottled air, the human has little to fear from the creature. The Blind Cave Hippocampus will rarely physically attack a conscious target out of fear of injury.

Another monster from the Pool Kelpie discussion. Remember the best way to avoid dying in a cave is to stay out of caves.