AXOLOTL - Definition

Pronunciation:		'aksu`lâtl
WordNet Dictionary

	Definition:	[n] larval salamander of mountain lakes of Mexico that usually lives without metamorphosing

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	Synonyms:	Ambystoma mexicanum, mud puppy

	See Also:	ambystomid, ambystomid salamander

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

	Definition:	\Ax"o*lotl\, n. [The native name.] (Zo["o]l.) An amphibian of the salamander tribe found in the elevated lakes of Mexico; the siredon. Note: When it breeds in captivity the young develop into true salamanders of the genus {Amblystoma}. This also occurs naturally under favorable conditions, in its native localities; although it commonly lives and breeds in a larval state, with persistent external gills. See {Siredon}.

Biology Dictionary

	Definition:	Ambystoma mexicanum, a type of salamander native to Mexico and the Western United States which spends all of its life underwater. Even as an adult animal, the axolotl retains many larval features, most notably its external gills: as a result the axolotl is an excellent example of the phenomenon of neoteny. The axolotl also has four legs and a tadpole-like tail and is an endangered species.