axolotl

Definitions

  • WordNet 3.6
    • n axolotl larval salamander of mountain lakes of Mexico that usually lives without metamorphosing
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
    • n Axolotl (Zoöl) An amphibian of the salamander tribe found in the elevated lakes of Mexico; the siredon.☞ 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.
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Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
    • n axolotl A urodele or tailed amphibian found in Mexico, which is supposed not to undergo metamorphosis, but to retain its gills throughout life, breeding in the larval state. From this circumstance the animal was made the type of a distinct genus, Siredon, and was placed with Proteus, Siren, etc., in the family Proteidœ, under the name of Siredon pisciforme. Another species has been named Siredon lichenoides. Later observations, however, have shown that the axolotl, or siredon, is simply a prolonged, sometimes permanent, stage like that which all the species of salamandrines of the family Amblystomidœ pass through, and that the animal is referable to the genus Amblystoma. Axolotls are common in lakes and lagoons in Mexico, like the various species of Amblystoma known in the United States as mud-puppies, water-dogs, etc. They have the appearance of gigantic tadpoles about to turn into frogs, being from 6 to 9 inches long, with a large compressed tail, 4 legs, gill-tufts on each side of the neck, and obtuse fiattened head. They are marketable in Mexico, where they are said to be deemed a luxury as an article of food.
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Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
    • n Axolotl aks′o-lotl a reptile found in Mexico, allied to the tailed batrachia, but distinguished by retaining its gills through life.
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Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
The native name
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
Mexican.

Usage

In literature:

We have warrant for this possibility in the case of the Axolotl and in other similar cases of neoteny.
"Darwin and Modern Science" by A.C. Seward and Others
The distinguished Paul Bert declared that the young of the axolotl could not form pigment when reared in a yellow light.
"The Dawn of Reason" by James Weir
The curious "axolotl," which we shall meet with in Mexico, belongs to a closely allied genus.
"The Western World" by W.H.G. Kingston
The original axolotls, from the vicinity of Mexico City, it is believed, arrived at the Jardin d'Acclimatation, Paris, late in 1863.
"Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1" by Various
The axolotl is esteemed a luxury by the Mexicans.
"The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3" by Various
The development of the axolotl.
"A Guide for the Study of Animals" by Worrallo Whitney
Is the Axolotl adult when it acquires its reproductive organs?
"Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3" by Various
Most gilled Batrachia live in North America: among others of the class is the Axolotl, or Siredon, already mentioned.
"The History of Creation, Vol. II (of 2)" by Ernst Haeckel
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In news:

Although often sold as pets and common in captivity, Axolotls are critically endangered in the wild.
motherjones.com
The Axolotl 's ability to regenerate many parts of its body has made it an experiment subject in medical labs.
motherjones.com
Biologists are trying to preserve the axolotl, a creature that is one of the few natural links Mexicans still have to the Aztecs.
nytimes.com
Unlike other salamanders , the Axolotl don't fully go through metamorphosis.
motherjones.com
As a result, the Axolotl is fully aquatic and lives only in the water.
motherjones.com
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