A Mexican salamander that never goes through metamorphosis: adults keep their feathery external gills and stay in the water. It’s famous for regrowing limbs, gills and parts of its eyes and brain.
Quick answers
What is it?Amphibian
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
An occasional pet in home aquariums, and white and pink ones are common in the pet trade.
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inNorth America
HabitatRivers & lakes
ColoursPink, White, Brown
SizeSmall
LengthUp to 30 cm
Weight60–110 g
Legs4
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for10–15 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Wild only in lakes of the Mexican highlands, most now covered by Mexico City.
- Conservation
- Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
Regrows legs, tail, and parts of its own brain.
Only about 50 to 1,000 adults are left in the wild, but a large captive population is kept worldwide.
Often confused with
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A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
