The axolotl is a type of salamander. It is also an amphibian. The tiger salamander is the closest relative of the axolotl. The word axolotl comes from Nahuatl. Nahuatl is a language of the Aztecs. Axolotls come from lakes and wetlands. These are in southern Mexico City, in Mexico. An axolotl lives in the water. It lives in the water for its whole life.

An axolotl has feathery gills. The gills are on the outside of its head. They are for breathing underwater. Grown axolotls have working lungs too. An axolotl has a tail. The tail has a fin. Axolotls are neotenic. That means they keep young traits. They keep them when they are grown. They never grow up to become adult salamanders.

Wild axolotls are mostly dark in color. They are black, brown or gray. An axolotl can reach about 12 inches long. Axolotls hide in mud and plants during the day. They are active at night. They are not active by day. An axolotl eats worms, insect larvae and small fish. It catches food by sucking it in. It sucks the food into its mouth.

Before mating, a male and female axolotl take part in a waltz. A female axolotl lays her eggs on plants or rocks. She can lay up to about a thousand eggs. The eggs hatch after about two weeks. Young axolotls get no parental care. No parent looks after them. Storks, herons and large fish sometimes eat axolotls.

An axolotl can regrow a lost leg. This can take a few weeks to months. Axolotls can also grow back hearts. They can grow back parts of the brain. When an axolotl regrows a leg, every tissue is replaced. That includes skin, bone, cartilage and muscle. Axolotls heal wounds without forming scar tissue. Their wounds heal with no scar.

Words to know

• amphibian: animal group
• gills: breathing parts
• neotenic: keeping young traits
• regrow: grow again

The short version

The axolotl is a type of salamander and an amphibian that lives in the water for its whole life. It comes from lakes and wetlands in southern Mexico City. Axolotls are neotenic, so they keep young traits as adults, and they can regrow a lost leg, a heart and parts of the brain.

Quick facts

• The axolotl is a type of salamander and an amphibian from lakes and wetlands in southern Mexico City, in Mexico.
• Axolotls are neotenic: they keep juvenile characteristics into adulthood and never grow up to become adult salamanders.
• An axolotl has feathery gills on the outside of its head, and adult axolotls also have working lungs.
• A female axolotl can lay up to about a thousand eggs, which hatch after about two weeks.
• Axolotls heal wounds without forming scar tissue and can regrow limbs, hearts and parts of the brain.