Aoxlotl - Weird Science!!!!

**Scouse** · Oct 07, '03, 8:13am

Well over the weekend I was tellin some mates about gettin Inky and one of them has come back with this link!!!

Ive been to the main site of Ithaca College in New York were the link goes to and it seems they have lots of studies goin on in there.

But I was wondering what these weird little fella's are?!?!? and where they come from etc.........

How bizarre!!! Never seen one before in me life!!! Do people keep em?

http://www.ithaca.edu/faculty/jhardwick/axolotl.jpg

Nice one

Scouse

**joel_ang** · Oct 07, '03, 8:36am

They are a kind of salamander that never mature fully. They lack a certain hormone, and because of this, they stay in a semi-tadpole state. They how ever are able to mate ( those red stuff are gills).

**Melissa** · Oct 07, '03, 9:25am

Scouse, that's a great photo! Axolotl are not uncommon in US zoos, and they look just as strange in life as in the photo. I had no idea that they are perpetual adolescents, thanks for telling us, Joel.

They're not marine, so they have extremely little contact with cephalopods. :)

Melissa

**sideways** · Oct 09, '03, 1:06pm

I've kept several as pets when I was younger. I used to see them at some of the more "unique" pet stores but haven't seem them in a long while. They would usually either be grey or albino and from 6 to 12 inches long. You could keep them in a tank with peaceful fish and they were relatively inexpensive. You've peaked my interest in those little guys again. John

**Colin** · Oct 10, '03, 5:50am

They are quite often available in the Uk and a friend of mine has several as part of a breeding project for the future.

Scouse, I beleive that there are only 2 lakes in mexico that they originally come from

**Scouse** · Oct 10, '03, 8:49am

Well, what a wealth of information you all are!!!!!

It looked like a weird baby photo adapted with a frogs head to me!!!!

Have to keep me eye out for these, just out of intrest in seein em in the flesh!

Colin - Do we expect to see them appearing in the press after your mate has bread mutant ones anlet em go in the Loch Ness!!!!! :D

No seriously, whats your mates plan with the breeding programme?

Next on the agenda is a mersey snake, bet you've all never seen a pic of one of them!!! (thats prob lost on alot of you!!)

**Colin** · Oct 10, '03, 10:45am

Just that they are always sought after and if you start breeding them you can make money off it, that's all......

i think he has about 3 colour varaities too...

something else to set up a tank for ???? :)