Fish with feets

It may looked like some mythical creature from a movie, or created by an image manipulation program. Looked like a fish with feets, this is a real creature and in fact it's quite a common species and even sold as pets in some countries!

This creature is an Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) or "Mexican Walking Fish". The Axolotl (pronounced Ax-oh-lot-ul) is an amphibian, is the best-known of the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders belonging to the Tiger Salamander complex. Although they are native to Mexico, Axolotls have become popular as exotic pets around the world. In captivity, they are housed in an aquarium and can have a range of colours. Ordinarily, amphibians undergo metamorphosis from egg to larva (the tadpole in frogs is a larva), and finally to adult form. The Axolotl, along with a number of other amphibians, remains in its larval form throughout its life. This means that it retains its gills and fins, and it doesn't develop the protruding eyes, eyelids and characteristics of other adult salamanders.

The animal is completely aquatic, and although it does possess rudimentary lungs, it breathes primarily through its gills and to a lesser extent, its skin. Some scientist may consider the Axolotls a backward step in evolution, because the Axolotl is descended from salamanders. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts, ease of breeding, and large embryos. They are commonly kept as pets in the United States, Great Britain (under the spelling Axlotl), Australia, Japan (Known as Wooper Rooper) and other countries.

Source : www.axolotl.org

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