When I first saw this photo, I thought it must be a stuffed toy, not an animal or a fish.

www.uglorable.com/.../

www.uglorable.com/.../

It’s a salamander.  Besides its looks, it’s unusual in that it stays in its larval form, like a tadpole that never matures into a frog.  It never develops full lungs, retaining its gills and fins, so it lives under water.  The axolotl becomes sexually mature in the larval stage.

http://www.axolotl.org/

The axolotl can completely regrow a lost limb.

They are endangered in the wild because of habitat loss, but they are used in labs all over the world because of their ability to regenerate limbs and their embryos which are large and robust.

The only place on earth you can find them in the wild is at Lake Xochimilco in Mexico.

9 thoughts on “Axolotl

  1. How sad that a beautiful little creature like this lives in labs all over the world, and is tortured and has its embryos taken just because it can grow limbs back. It also greatly saddens me that its habitat loss has caused them to be endangered in the wild otherwise they wouldn’t have to endure human contact. Thank you for the pictures, but it was hard to read the decription.

  2. Yeah, how sad that our science is keeping bloodlines of an endangered species, so that if it goes extinct in the wild, its not truly dead. Oh, and its very sad that we could learn something from it.

  3. Yeah, I agree. How sad. I am glad that they still exist though. I wish people would step up and try to save these poor little guys. I’m doing a project in science on them!!

  4. it is sad but we can all help buying them from a shop means the shop can get more shipped in to sell i am getting one to help save the cute animal wish you all would to, but just remember don’t put more than one in a tank it might eat the other one which i another reason they are getting existent because they are eating each other and not breeding enough

  5. Pingback: The 5 Stupidest Looking Super Powers in the Animal Kingdom | Chib

  6. Amazing .. creatures .. had never in my life seen or even knew what one was until a week ago .. Interested greatly as an animal and reptile lover, I googled them and found them here ..

    Science: Is not always kind .. But, In the long run look at the up-side .. One would rather see something in captivity rather than extinct … It is cruel what humanity has ruined it’s habbitat … Many things in life would no longer be around if not for science .. Cures .. to illnesses etc .. look at the wider picture .. Humanity as a whole ruined these beautiful creatures habbitat .. science is left picking up what they can .. :) Cool photo’s thank you ..

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