| Proteus anguinus | the
`human fish' |
|
Proteus anguinus, is one of the world's most unusual animals. For centuries locals have reported rare sightings of the `human fish' in springs of the karst region (a limestone region of underground rivers, gorges and caves) of Slovenia's Primorska province. |
It's a kind of salamander 25 to 30cm long, but it is not related to any other amphibian and is the largest permanent cave-dwelling vertebrate known to science. It lives in the pitch-black waters of the karst region, and is blind with atrophied, almost invisible eyes. It has a long tail which it uses for swimming, but can also propel itself with its four legs. It breathes through frilly, bright-red gills and has primitive lungs for breathing on land. Proteus anguinus has a powerful sense of smell and is sensitive to weak electrical fields in the water which it uses to navigate, communicate and locate prey. The human-like skin has no pigment whatsoever, but looks pink in the light due to the animal's blood circulation. How does it reproduce? They probably hatch their young from eggs and they probably don't reach sexual maturity until the age of 16 or 18. But nobody really knows because, despite three centuries of study, nobody's ever seen it happen in the wild and the little critters aren't too cooperative in captivity (one hasn't eaten in 12 years).