Biologists at Postojna Cave in Slovenia are excitedly expecting a clutch of eggs in their aquarium to hatch into baby dragons.

A tour group in the  Postojna Cave, Slovenia.

A tour group in the Postojna Cave, Slovenia. Image by Shadowgate / CC BY 2.0

Their hopes aren’t as crazy as they sound, because the eggs were laid by an olm, or ‘human fish’. This strange pink aquatic cave salamander, which live to a hundred and can detect electrical and magnetic fields, are known locally as ‘baby dragons’ due to their resemblance to the mythological creatures. When the pregnant olm began laying eggs in the aquarium, staff quickly fished all of the other amphibians out of the tank to prevent them from eating the eggs. It is hoped that the mother may lay up to 60 eggs over the next 20 days, and that they will begin to hatch several weeks later.

Read more and see the pictures: nytimes.com