Olm Sweet Olm: A Burping Baby Dragon

Summary

Podcast Summary: Wow in the World – "Olm Sweet Olm: A Burping Baby Dragon"

Podcast: Wow in the World
Hosts: Mindy Thomas & Guy Raz
Episode Date: January 19, 2026
Episode Focus: An underwater adventure into the mysterious life of the olm, a rare subterranean salamander, and the surprising discoveries scientists are making about its habits.

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Mindy, Guy Raz, Grandma GeForce, and the gang explore one of the deepest caves in the world—the Trebiciano Abyss in Italy—and return with a fascinating find: a real-life olm! Once thought to be a mythical "baby dragon," the olm is a blind, cave-dwelling salamander. With quirky side humor and lively banter, the team unpacks recent scientific discoveries about why olms might emerge from their dark underground homes... and why sometimes, they need a good burp!

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Homecoming Turns Scientific

• The crew prepares a “Welcome Home” party for Mindy and Grandma GeForce as they return from spelunking in Italy's Trebiciano Abyss.
• (02:28) Comic confusion over the homecoming sign reading “Welcome Olm!” sets the stage for the episode’s theme.

2. What’s an Olm? Mythical Dragon or Real Salamander?

• Mindy introduces the olm, a rare subterranean salamander thought for centuries to be a legendary creature:
  • “See, the Olm, once thought to be a mythical baby dragon, is a very, very hard to find subterranean salamander who lives deep, deep down in cool, dark places like the Trebiciano Abyss.” — Mindy (07:40)
• Key characteristics:
  • Lives exclusively underground.
  • Pale, blind, with little to no facial features.
  • Can live for over 100 years!
  • Senses its environment through vibrations, chemicals in water, and the Earth's magnetic fields.

3. Olm Biology & the Art of Burping

• When olms are brought to the surface, they can swallow air and float uncontrollably until "burped."
  • “When it gets back in the water, it causes the olm to float up to the surface and it can't swim until it’s, well, let it out. Burped.” — Mindy (10:00)
• Grandma GeForce demonstrates how to burp an olm on-air, adding comedy and a touch of “ick” factor for kids.

4. A Real-Life Discovery: Olms on the Surface

• Mindy shares the story of zoologist Raoul Manenti and the University of Milan’s discovery:
  • Historically, olms found above ground were thought to have been washed out by floods.
  • In 2020, scientists discovered olms swimming in sunlit springs—without recent floods to explain it!
    • “Dr. Maneti and his team had never seen anything like it. An underground olm now in plain sight above ground.” — Mindy (13:03)
• Research revealed that surface-dwelling olms were burping up earthworms, food not available in caves, suggesting they risk trips topside for a treat.

5. Rethinking Olm Survival & Adaptation

• The discovery challenges centuries-old beliefs about olms never leaving their dark caves.
  • “Just when scientists thought they knew everything there was to know... what we believed to be true for hundreds of years suddenly isn’t true—or at least there’s a lot more to the story.” — Guy Raz & Mindy (15:31–15:50)
• Plumper olms found above ground contrast with the skinny ones found deep in caves.

6. Returning the Olm to Its Natural Habitat

• After learning more, the team agrees it’s best for the olm (“Olmsky”) to return home.
  • “When it comes to finding anything in nature, especially living things, it’s best to just take pictures and leave the things where we found them.” — Mindy (16:48)
• Comic reluctance from Grandma GeForce to hand over her "pet souvenir" adds a fun twist.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On misreading the party sign:
  “...the sign should read 'Welcome Home', not 'Welcome Olm.'” — Guy Raz (03:53)

• On the Olm’s habitat:
  “The Trebiciano abyss is as deep as the Eiffel tower is tall!” — Guy Raz (03:08)

• On olms being blind:
  “Interesting thing about olms, they actually do not have any facial features, unless you count some gills. In fact, when baby olms are born, their eyes are quickly covered in skin...” — Mindy (08:18)

• On Olm burping:
  “He just needs to be burped.” — Grandma GeForce (09:41)
  “Grandma G Force, did you really just burp that olm?” — Guy Raz (10:15)

• On scientific mystery:
  “So much scientific mystery still left to uncover. And it could be happening right under our own two feet.” — Mindy (15:55)

• On conservation:
  “It’s best to just take pictures and leave the things where we found them.” — Mindy (16:48)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:04 | Party preparations and “Welcome Olm” mix-up | | 07:40 | Introduction to the olm and its story | | 09:32 | Olm floating & need for burping; comic demonstration | | 11:01 | Dr. Manenti’s scientific quest for the elusive olm | | 13:03 | Discovery of olms at the surface (breaking past scientific beliefs) | | 14:44 | The “earthworm clue”—olms may surface for new food sources | | 16:48 | Conversation about returning animals to their natural habitats |

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Tone and Style

• The episode is playful, punny, and educational, with plenty of character-driven silliness and “bonkerballs” antics.
• Science is made accessible through stories, jokes, and kid-friendly comparisons (e.g., depth of caves measured in Eiffel Towers, olms compared to bananas).

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Summary Takeaway

Listeners leave the episode knowing:

• The olm is a unique, mysterious creature adapted to life deep underground, recently found journeying to sunlit waters.
• Even age-old scientific beliefs can be overturned with new discoveries.
• It’s important to respect animals’ natural habitats—adventures are for learning and sharing, not taking.

Final Wow:
“So much scientific mystery still left to uncover. And it could be happening right under our own two feet.” — Mindy (15:55)

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This episode is a wacky, curiosity-sparking journey into cave biology and the importance of observing—and sometimes, literally burping—the wild wonders around us.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, grownups. Mindy here from wow in the world. And over the years, you've listened to all of the bonkerballs things that we have said and shared. And guess what? Now it's our turn to listen to you. What do you like about Tinker cast shows? What do you not like? What's your favorite type of pasta? Mine's elbow macaroni. But I also like me macaroni. You're right, Reg. We probably won't ask you about pasta. But the questions we do have will really help us to understand who our Wowzer fams are and how we can keep making the bonker balls content that you love. Grown ups. Visit Tinkercast.com survey to find out more. It won't take much of your time, and you'll automatically be entered for a chance to win a prize pack of wow in the world toys and books. That's Tinkercast.com survey. We can't wait to hear from you. That's it. And now let's get back to the show.

[B]

Proceeded. Three, two, one, Mission.

[C]

The bubbles are an adventure of magnificent proportion.

[D]

I don't know what you've been told.

[B]

But we're in a golden age.

[C]

So many discoveries that are jumping off the page.

[D]

While in the world.

[A]

While in the world.

[D]

Wild.

[A]

A better way.

[E]

Houston.

[D]

Okay, a little to the left. Nope, nope, nope. That's too far back. A little to the right, Tommy.

[E]

How's that? Was it straight?

[D]

Yeah, but now it looks too good. Put it back to the left.

[E]

Ooh. We're thinking we need to hurry.

[C]

Mindy and grandma GeForce are gonna be home any minute now.

[E]

Oh, is this the part where we go hide?

[D]

Yep, and then we'll jump out and yell, surprise.

[C]

Happy birthday for the fifth time. Dennis, this is not a surprise birthday party. It's a welcome home celebration. Ow. Mindy and grandma G force have been in Italy spelunking in the Trevisiano abyss in Milan for the last two weeks, and they're finally coming home today.

[D]

Uh, Guy? Raz.

[C]

Yes, Dennis?

[D]

What's the truffle cheese abyss?

[C]

You mean the Trebiciano abyss?

[D]

Yeah, the Trebby chimney abyss, Dennis.

[C]

The Trebiciano abyss is one of the deepest underground caves in the world.

[E]

Oh. Is it deeper than my belly button.

[D]

Or deeper than my belly button, Dennis? Or is it deeper than Reggie's belly button even? Oh, right. Reggie doesn't have a belly button.

[E]

What? That bird's got no belly button. But where does he keep his jellybeans?

[C]

Would you all please just listen? Listen. The Trebiciano abyss is as deep as the Eiffel tower is tall.

[D]

There's an underground cave deeper than the length of the Eiffel tower.

[E]

We gotta stop measuring things with towers.

[D]

You know what? That is so true.

[C]

What I am trying to say is that Mindy and grandma G force basically took a journey to the center of the earth and back, and they deserve a warm welcome home.

[E]

Oh, well, why didn't you just say so, guy?

[D]

Raz, they are gonna get a warm welcome home. Just look at the sign we made.

[E]

It's a beautiful sign, feller. Uh, what's it say?

[D]

It says welcome. Olm.

[C]

Welcome. Oh.

[A]

What?

[D]

Well, we ran out of the right letters.

[E]

Yeah, all the good letters were taken.

[C]

You ran out of the right letters. You were literally painting them onto the sign. And the sign should read welcome home, not welcome ome.

[E]

Ow. Oh, yeah.

[C]

Shh.

[D]

Everybody quiet. You hear that noise?

[B]

Like home.

[E]

Oh, I hear it. What is it?

[A]

There's no place like home.

[D]

Ah. Mindy and grandpa GeForce are home. Kly says everyone.

[C]

Okay, on the count of three, I want all of us to yell welcome home.

[A]

Got it?

[C]

Got it.

[D]

Welcome home. On the count of three.

[A]

Let me just see here.

[B]

One.

[E]

One.

[C]

Two, three.

[D]

Welcome home.

[A]

Hey, Riley, Reggie, Dennis. Mindy.

[C]

Grandma GeForce, we missed you so much.

[A]

Aw, missed you too, buddy.

[D]

And I missed you so much, Mindy, that I moved into your house.

[F]

What?

[C]

What?

[E]

Well, g Force, I see you came back to haunt me.

[F]

You're never getting rid of me, Fingerling. Now come here.

[E]

Chief force let me go.

[C]

Did she just put him in a headlock?

[A]

Oh, it's her way of hugging.

[C]

I see. So, Mindy, how was the trip to Italy? Did you get to the bottom of the Trebiziano abyss?

[D]

And was there a gift shop?

[A]

Oh, it was beyond bonker balls. Here, check out these pictures we took from our trip.

[D]

Whoa. Come on.

[E]

Would you look at that abyss?

[D]

It's so abysmal. How'd you get down in there?

[A]

We had to attach one end of a rope and a harness to our bodies and then the other to the top of this well, like opening. And then, see, in this picture, we had to rappel or climb down 340 meters or 1,115ft.

[C]

What?

[A]

It was so deep?

[F]

Yep. And it was dark and it was dank, just like. I like it.

[E]

Neat, huh?

[D]

So, Mindy, did you bring me a souvenir?

[C]

Daniel.

[A]

Well, funny you should mention it, Dennis, because yes, we did.

[C]

You did?

[A]

We did.

[D]

Hooray. Souvenirs. Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

[F]

Now settle down and help me get this thing out of my pocket here.

[D]

What? Could it be a fridge magnet? No, wait. A key ring? No, wait. A tea towel.

[E]

Oh, that'd be sweet.

[A]

Come on, Grandma G Force, we gotta show them what we brought back from the cave.

[F]

Now everybody stand. I don't know if it's gonna bite.

[C]

If it's gonna bite.

[F]

Come on out, little feller. Time to show you off.

[A]

Isn't he a cutie?

[E]

What in the baby dragon is that thing?

[C]

A subterranean salamander.

[D]

It's an old sweet old Dennis for the last.

[C]

This time it's home sweet.

[A]

No, actually, Deniz is right, Guy Raz.

[C]

Huh?

[A]

This little buddy is a real live Olm.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Wait, you brought an OLM back in your pocket?

[A]

What?

[F]

Don't act so surprised. Garage. It's unbecoming.

[A]

She filled her pocket with water so the ohm could breathe.

[D]

What?

[F]

Fingerling, go fetch me a pail of water.

[D]

It's so cute. But Mindy, what exactly is an olm?

[A]

Allow me to explain. See, the Olm, once thought to be a mythical baby dragon, is a very, very hard to find subterranean salamander who lives deep, deep down in cool, dark places like the Trevisiano Abyss or cave in Italy. And until recently, scientists believed that these ohms never see the light of day.

[D]

Is that why he's so ghostly pale?

[E]

And why he ain't got no eyes.

[C]

Or a nose or a mouth?

[D]

Wait, no. There's a little tiny mouth. Hi, little mouth.

[A]

Oh, yeah. So, interesting thing about OLMs, they actually do not have any facial features, unless you count some gills. In fact, when baby Olms are born, their eyes are quickly covered in skin, which leaves them completely blind for the rest of their long life. Long life.

[F]

And this little home here just celebrated his 100th birthday. Didn't it you? He don't talk much.

[A]

He doesn't talk and he doesn't listen either. In fact, underground in the cave, he navigates by sensing vibrations, picking up certain chemical clues in the water, and using Earth's magnetic fields to help orient himself.

[C]

Let me get a closer look at this little Olm. A good. Go ahead and drop him in this pail of water here, Grandma GeForce.

[F]

Okay.

[D]

Cannonball, huh?

[C]

Okay, so he's got a body that looks sort of like a snake, but with skinny little legs, and he's about the length of a banana.

[E]

Ooh, you think it tastes like a banana too?

[C]

What?

[E]

Nothing.

[C]

Mindy, are you sure he's okay?

[A]

Yeah, why?

[C]

Well, he Seems to be floating towards the surface of the water. Um, Grandma GeForce. How long did you have him in your pocket?

[F]

Relax, garage. He just needs to be burped.

[C]

Burped?

[D]

Ah, like a little baby.

[E]

A little baby dragon.

[A]

It's true. See, when an om, which is a fully aquatic animal, that means it lives in the water. When it accidentally gets a gulp of.

[C]

Air, when you pull it out of.

[A]

Your pocket, that air stays inside of its body. And when it gets back in the water, it causes the om to float up to the surface and it can't swim until it's.

[F]

Well, let it out. Burped.

[C]

Grandma. G force. Did you really just burp that ohm?

[F]

Yeah I did. And I'll do it again. Watch this.

[A]

Okay, so she's turning the ohm on his back.

[C]

Here.

[F]

Here boy.

[A]

And now she's massaging his tummy to help him burp out the air, causing him to float.

[F]

I'm just gonna tickle your tummy until you burp it out.

[D]

Woo hoo. Okay, do me next. My tummy's gassy.

[F]

No.

[C]

Mindy, this is incredible. How do you know all of this?

[A]

Well, I learned about it from a recent scientific study that I read in the journal Ecology. No, no, hear me out everyone. This is fascinating.

[C]

Go on, Mindy.

[A]

Okay, so this zoology professor named Raoul Menenti from the University of Milan in Italy made it his life's mission to find a real live olm in the wild.

[D]

What do you mean? Is it like hard?

[A]

Hard doesn't even begin to cover it, Dennis.

[C]

Oh.

[A]

Over centuries, only a few OLMs have ever been spotted above ground. And scientists believe that in those cases it was only because they were flooded out of their usual underground habitats.

[C]

Well, I'd imagine they wouldn't want to come up. I mean, look at this little fella. No eyes, no nose, can't stop.

[E]

Bur.

[A]

Scientists believe that OLMs were so well equipped to live underground that there would be no way for them to survive on the surface.

[C]

I imagine that on the surface, without a whole lot to protect themselves, they'd probably make a nice meal for hungry predators.

[A]

Exactly. But deep underground, these olms rule the waters.

[C]

So how exactly does one go about finding one of these elusive OLMs?

[A]

Well, for years, Dr. Manenti and his team would report or use ropes to climb deep, deep, deep into underground caves. But in 2020, they were just minding their own business on the surface when they spotted something unusual.

[C]

Unusual?

[A]

Something ghostly pale.

[C]

Ghostly pale.

[A]

Something without eyes.

[D]

No eyes.

[A]

Something burping.

[D]

What is it, Mindy?

[E]

Yeah, Mandy, quit trying to riddle us.

[A]

It was an olm.

[F]

Oh, come on. You knew where this story was going.

[E]

Yeah, I guess.

[C]

An OLM on the surface.

[A]

An OLM swimming in spring water on the surface of the Earth and in broad daylight.

[F]

What in the world?

[E]

Right, Webb?

[A]

Dr. Manet and his team had never seen anything like it.

[D]

Oh, goodness.

[A]

An underground olm now in plain sight above ground.

[E]

Somebody do something.

[A]

Quickly, the team sprung into action. They began monitoring or snooping on 69 springs in the area.

[D]

Oh, good idea.

[A]

And much to their shock and surprise, they spotted OLMs at a whopping 15 of these springs. And there were no recent floods to help explain it.

[D]

Oh, no.

[C]

So what were they doing up there, Mindy?

[A]

Good question, Guy Raz. And that was exactly the question that Dr. Minenti and his team had, too. What in the wow were these OLMs doing swimming on the surface of the Earth?

[D]

Yeah, I demand answers.

[A]

And to find the answer, they used some interesting research techniques that would give them clues.

[C]

Like what, Mindy?

[A]

Well, for one, they would make the ohms burp.

[F]

I'm gonna make you burp up the truth.

[C]

Let alone what in the.

[A]

They discovered that when they scooped the OLMs out of the water to steady them, if the ohms had swallowed air, they would automatically float to the surface once they were placed back in the water.

[C]

Just like we witnessed with of this little OLM here.

[A]

Exactly. And sometimes they would just burp up whatever air they swallowed, but other times. Yes, other times, they would burp up and barf out earthworms.

[C]

Wait a minute, Mindy. Earthworms don't live in the deep, dark caves where olms do. They live in Earth.

[A]

Ah, a keen observation, Guy Raz. And you are correct. Having earthworms in their bellies suggested that these OMs were risking their lives by coming to the surface to hunt for food that they couldn't get deep down in their caves.

[C]

Ah, it's sort of like how I travel 25 miles to get heirloom wheat berries from one certain market because I can't find it anywhere else.

[F]

Huh?

[A]

Exactly. Just like that. And what was even more bonkerballs was the fact that these Oms were chubby little buddies. The other Oms, the ones that were previously found underground, were all super skinny.

[B]

Huh.

[C]

So what you're saying is that just when scientists thought they knew everything there was to know about this specific species of cave salamander, new research suggests that what we believe to be true for hundreds of years suddenly isn't true.

[A]

Or at least there's A lot more to the story.

[C]

Fascinating. You never know what scientists are gonna discover next.

[B]

I know.

[A]

So much scientific mystery still left to uncover. And it could be happening right under our own two feet.

[E]

So what's next for little Olmsky here?

[D]

Olmsky?

[E]

Yeah, that's what I named him. Olmsky. Is he just gonna live in this here bucket of water or what?

[A]

Huh? Yeah, I guess I didn't really think this through. You know, grandma GeForce, he did seem pretty happy living underwater in that where we found him.

[F]

Yeah, so what? I was happier down there too.

[C]

So maybe it's time we take him back home to his natural habitat.

[F]

No, he's gonna live with me. Finders keepers.

[A]

Kyraz has a point, Grandma G Force. When it comes to finding anything in nature, especially living things, it's best to just take pictures and leave the things where we found him.

[E]

Well, come on, G Force. Time to take little Omsky here back to where he belongs.

[F]

No, he's my pet souvenir. I ain't giving him back.

[C]

Grandma G Force.

[F]

Oh fine. You're going in my pocket. Little Omsky. Time to take you back home.

[A]

I'm riding a relative horse. Hey Reg, think you could fly us to the Trebisiano cave in Italy?

[C]

Thanks, Reggie.

[D]

Come on everyone.

[C]

Hop on Reggie's back.

[A]

Okay, time to get this ohm back home. And here we go.

[D]

There's no place I go there's no place I go there's no place I.

[A]

Go wow in the world. We'll be right back, grown ups. This message is for you. Did it work?

[F]

Is this thing on?

[A]

Okay, good. Hi, my name is Carlie Q. And if you're anything like me, you may have noticed that there are a lot of big questions out there that need answers. Like is the Loch Ness Monster real? What's going on in the Bermuda Triangle? And who ate my pie? Ok, well, maybe the last one hasn't occurred to you, but on who When Wow. Mystery Edition, I'm solving all of life's mysteries. Well, at least some of them. Join me as I travel through space and time to investigate history's most famous mysteries. All during my lunch break. Some things can't be explained, but they can be explored. Listen to episodes of who When Wow. Mystery Edition. Wherever you get your podcasts, That's it. Back to the show. Hi, thanks for calling wow in the World. After the beep, get ready to record.

[B]

Hi, my name is Aiden, I'm seven years old and I live in Naperville, Illinois. My wow in the World Is that the Colossal Squid's eye is the size of a soccer ball. Love your show. Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz. My name is Eva. I'm from Canada. Nanaimo, BC My wow in the world is that some birds can do math. Reggie, can you do math? Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz. I'm Declan and I'm seven from Vancouver, Canada. My wow in the world is that the first airplane flight was only 12 seconds long. Say hi to Dennis.

[D]

Ahoy there, Snoopy.

[B]

Seek robot.

[C]

Greetings.

[B]

What is up, baby Dennis? Yay, Bucky Thomas, Fingerling, Grandma G Force and the Slay Cats. Hello, Minigun. Guy Raz. My name is Penelope and I live in Westfield, New Jersey. Did you know there are 15,000 varieties of tomatoes in our world? Say hi to Reggie from me. Bye.

[A]

Hey.

[B]

My name is Socorro and I'm seven years old. I'm from San Diego, California. My wow in the world is that sloths can swim faster than they can move on ground. Can you say hi to Reggie for me? Bye. Hi, Mindy, Guy Raz and Reggie. My name is Judy and I'm 10 years old. And my name is Sarah and I'm 7 years old. We live in Seattle, Washington. And our wow is that crocodiles can grow at many as 3,000 pieces of lifetime. Wow. Bye, Mindy, Guy Raz, Reggie, Dennis and everybody else. We love your show. I'm Indian Guy Raz. My name is Reid and I'm 12, and I live in Batavia, New York. My wow in the world is that it takes less than a second for light to travel all the way around the world. Say hi to Grandma G Force for me. She's obviously the best character.

[F]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Bye, Mindy and Guy Raz. Love your show. Hi, Mindy. Hi, Guy Ross. I'm undressed from Manila, Philippines. And my wow in the world is that you can activate both sides of your brain by moving your eyes side to side. I love your show. Say hi to Dennis and Reggie for me.

[D]

Hi.

[B]

Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz. I'm Eleanor. I'm nine years old and I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. And my wow in the world is that an elephant's trunk is strong enough to pull down a huge tree, but nimble enough to pick up a single blade of grass. Isn't that neat? Bye. Love your show so much.

[A]

End of messages.

[C]

Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken, with help from me, Guy Raz.

[A]

Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thole, with help from our supervising producer, Jed Anderson. You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis, Thomas, Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters that you hear on our show. And Lizzie Freilich can also be heard as some of the silly characters on our show.

[C]

Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker and Meredith Halpern Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.

[A]

Our theme song was composed and performed by three time Grammy nominees the Pop Ups. Find them at thepopups.com Special thanks to.

[C]

Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristin Yang, Twee Max, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast hq.

[A]

And to keep the WOW rolling after you finish this episode, Visit [e-mail] There you can become a member of the World Organization of wowzers to get year round mailings and weekly activities. Shop our wow. Shop, get tickets for upcoming events, find our best selling books and learn about some of the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast Grown ups.

[C]

You can follow wow. In the World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @wowintheworld. And our email address is hellotinkercast.com and.

[A]

If you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1-888-7wow wow. For a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of 2 what's in a wow.

[C]

Thanks again for listening. We're here every Monday or you can check out two what's and a wow every Friday right here in the wow in the World podcast feed.

[A]

And don't forget we WOW on the weekend with Dennis Saturday and Sunday.

[B]

Keep on Wowing.

[A]

Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.