4.3. Axolotl

A wild, natural color variety of axolotl. Apart from the albino form, several other colour varieties are known

The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), also known as the Mexican walking fish, is an amphibian known for its so-called neoteny, the ability of larvae to reproduce sexually. The axolotl spends its entire life as an aquatic larval form (tadpole) and never develops into an adult. Nevertheless, it reproduces sexually at this stage. Historically, under natural conditions, this ambystoma was found in two lakes: Xochimilco and Chalco, at an altitude of 2300 m. Currently, its range is limited to Lake Xochimilco and the surrounding wetlands. Wild individuals come in various shades of brown. Among amateurs most popular are leucistic forms – with creamy white body and dark eyes, and the albino forms – with yellow body and red eyes. Their gills, regardless of the variety, come in shades

Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is nothing more than a tadpole of the Mexican salamander, which never undergoes metamorphosis and reproduces sexually in the larval stage