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Very cool but yes very much not an axolotl.

An axolotl is a salamander that has evolved neoteny (imagine a frog staying as a tadpole its whole life). It's also specifically adapted to a specific lake system in Mexico City. If it is kept in water under 57°F (14°C) it will die in a few days. They are also extremely sensitive to changes in the water quality or chemistry. It's not clear that this one will even survive after being rescued



>An axolotl is a salamander that has evolved neoteny

That's not that rare, all sorts of different salamanders exhibit neoteny.


I’m surprised no one is bringing up the possibility that this is just a salamander in its axolotl looking stage of life.


FTA: the nine-inch Mexican axolotl

There aren’t many baby salamanders that size, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_giant_salamander#Breed... says “external gills remain until a length of about 20 cm (8 in) at an age of 3 years”, so it could be. I wouldn’t know whether these look similar, though.


Sure, but mud puppies and Olm also exhibit neoteny.



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