axolotl

[ak-suh-lot-l]

noun

1. any of several salamanders of the genus Ambystoma that inhabit lakes and ponds of Mexico and remain in the larval stage as sexually mature adults.

axolotl

/ ˈæksəˌlɒtəl /

noun

1. any of several aquatic salamanders of the North American genus Ambystoma, esp A. mexicanum ( Mexican axolotl ), in which the larval form (including external gills) is retained throughout life under natural conditions (see neoteny ): family Ambystomidae

2. any of various other North American salamanders in which neoteny occurs or is induced

Word History and Origins

Origin of axolotl¹

1780–90; < Nahuatl āxōlōtl, equivalent to ā ( tl ) water + xōlōtl page, male servant

Word History and Origins

Origin of axolotl¹

C18: from Nahuatl, from atl water + xolotl servant, doll

Example Sentences

But like the axolotl, the salamander she studied, this program is critically endangered.

From Los Angeles Times

“He is a mix between a bird of prey, like a peregrine falcon, with extremely streamlined shapes — of course a feline but also a Mexican salamander called an axolotl,” Otto says.

From Los Angeles Times

One of the world's most endangered amphibians - the strange, perpetually smiling Mexican axolotl - has thrived after being released in artificial wetlands, scientists have discovered.

From BBC

Sikes has been working with acoels for about 20 years, and their symbiotic relationship differentiates them from other animals that regenerate, like planarian flatworms and axolotls.

From Science Daily

At last count, a decade ago, there were 35 axolotls per square kilometer in the Xochimilco wetlands, down from thousands in the 1990s.

From New York Times