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  • Rated by Siilenced on Mar 16 2009, 8:18pm

    They look soft

  • Rated by The-Bozz on Feb 28 2009, 8:15am

    IRL mudkips! (don't kill me)

  • Rated by EvolutionRules on Nov 02 2008, 11:27pm

    From the page: The Axolotl is a fascinating creature for a number of reasons, including its grotesque appearance, its ability to regenerate, and primarily the fact that it exhibits the phenomenon known as neoteny. Ordinarily, amphibians undergo metamorphosis from egg to larva (the tadpole of a frog is a larva), and finally to adult form. The Axolotl, along with a number of other amphibians, remains in its larval form throughout its life. This means that it retains its gills and fins, and it doesn't develop the protruding eyes, eyelids and characteristics of other adult salamanders. It grows much larger than a normal larval salamander, and it reaches sexual maturity in this larval stage. Another term to describe this state is "perennibranchiate". The animal is completely aquatic, and although it does possess rudimentary lungs, it breathes primarily through its gills and to a lesser extent, its skin. It is generally accepted that neoteny is a "backward" step in evolution, because the Axolotl is descended from what were once terrestrial salamanders, like the closely related species, the Tiger Salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum and Ambystoma mavortium spp. (in fact, one likely theory suggests that the Axolotl is in fact a Tiger salamander off-shoot, as it can interbreed with that species with some success). Through some quirk of nature, a neotenous form developed and, probably due to environmental conditions, prospered. Neoteny is sometimes found in other amphibians, but tends to be caused by low levels of iodine (an essential element for animals to make thyroxine hormones, necessary for growth and development), or possibly by random genetic mutation. Research has also shown that very low temperatures can suppress the production of these hormones, thus also inducing neoteny.

  • Rated by mercenarymary on Sep 22 2008, 7:18pm

    whenever I see these, I can't help but think of the potential for Darwin's theory of evolution.

  • Rated by pocketuniverse on Mar 27 2008, 5:55am

    What a strange lil creature... From the page: "It has long been known that the Axolotl is a worthy study due to its amazing healing/regeneration abilities. Normal wound-healing in animals occurs through the growth of scar tissue, and this also means that most animals won't re-grow a lost limb. However the axolotl is fully capable of complete limb re-growth."

  • Rated by Stefunny on Dec 03 2007, 11:36pm

    I love these animals. I work in the pet industry but have never seen them in my area except for the aquariums. They are quite fascinating.

  • Rated by rebekahsue on Oct 05 2007, 8:32am

    Learn about the Axolotl (pronounced Ax-oh-lot-ul), in the salamander family, in this cool site recommended by Worldstart.com on 03-OCT-2007. Learn about their biology and, if you keep wild animals as pets (ugh!!), feeding and requirements.

  • Rated by Azu-reus on Sep 04 2007, 3:27am

    where Axolotls come from: