Scientists Await Birth Of 60 Extremely Rare Baby Dragons This Summer

March 2nd, 2016

Awake Goy

Scientists await birth of baby dragons this summer

Scientists in Slovenia are awaiting the birth of 57 ‘baby dragons’ in a Slovenian cave only accessible by underground train.

The ‘dragons’, otherwise known as olms, are actually ancient, blind salamanders that look like the mythological fire-breathing creature.

Biologist Sašo Weldt, who is monitoring the amphibians at Postojna Cave, says that although the olms have existed for 15 million years, they were only recently discovered in the middle of the 17th century.

“People had never seen it and didn’t know what it was,” he told ABC News. “During the winter time, clouds of fog often rose from the cave, so they came up with stories of a dragon breathing fire from the cave, and they thought the olms were its babies.”

ABC News reports:

Though olms don’t breathe fire nor grow to gargantuan sizes, they do have several “unusual attributes and features” that make them quite fascinating creatures, Weldt said.

“They’re believed to be able to live 100 years or longer, and they can survive without food for up to 10 years,” he explained. “They have transparent white skin that also covers their eyes, but they don’t need to see. They have incredible sense of smell and hearing and can detect detect light and electrical or magnetic fields.”

Weldt added that female olms only reproduce once every six to seven years. The rare birth of olms has only been witnessed in labs, but for the first time, the public may be able to view a hatching at the Postojna Cave, where Weldt works, he said.

The first time eggs were found in the cave was in 2013, Weldt explained, but he said that they were unfortunately eaten before any could be born.

In January a tour guide noticed a new olm egg. Now, there are over 57.

“This time, we’ve removed all the other olms to make sure [the eggs] don’t get eaten again,” Weldt said. “We’re hopeful for a successful birth.”

He added that the cave’s scientists have set up cameras that use infrared light to capture the “Mama Dragon” and her little ones, so that cave visitors can keep tabs on them as well.

“Everything seems to be going according to plan, and we’re really, really excited,” he said. “We just had a scientist from Uganada and America come to see the olms. It’s a great moment to be working and studying the olms and the cave right now.”

If all goes well, the “baby dragons” could be born within three to four months, Weldt said.