rekordy: Axolotl

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

The axolotl ( ; from Classical Nahuatl: āxōlōtl [aːˈʃoːloːtɬ] ; Ambystoma mexicanum) is a species of mole salamander. It is neotenic, reaching sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis, and the adults remain fully aquatic with obvious external gills. Axolotls may be difficult to distinguish from the larval stage of other neotenic adult mole salamanders, in particular the tiger salamander, or other species such as mudpuppies. Axolotls originally inhabited a system of interconnected wetlands and lakes in the highlands of Mexico. They were known to inhabit the smaller lakes of Xochimilco and Chalco and are presumed to have inhabited the larger lakes of Texcoco and Zumpango. The desiccat…

Evidence: 54 • authority: 72

Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela, the sole surviving order from the group Caudata. Urodela is a scientific Latin term based on the Ancient Greek οὐρά δήλη (ourà dēlē), "conspicuous tail". Caudata is the Latin for "tailed ones", from cauda, "tail". Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species pres…

Evidence: 33 • authority: 80

Supplemental Information 1: Sample identification and origins of all captive specimens used in the current study. The number of samples sourced from each breeding facility is listed below.

Evidence: 33 • authority: 80

Just Because a Modifier Exists Does Not Mean It Should Be Used!

Evidence: 33 • authority: 80

Supplemental Information 4: Body masses of specimens used in muscle architecture dissections.

Evidence: 33 • authority: 72

Albinism is the congenital absence of pigmentation (in mammals, melanin) in an animal or plant resulting in "hair being white, red, or yellow", "feathers, scales, and skin being yellow", "eyes being red, pink, purple, violet, or blue", and "leaves or stems being white or yellow", if applicable. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of the terms mean that written reports of albinistic animals can be difficult to verify. Albinism can reduce the survivability of an animal; for example, it has been suggested that albino alligators have an average survival span of only 24 years due to the lack of protection from UV radiation and their lack of ca…

Evidence: 33 • authority: 72

Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods, but excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic membrane, such as modern reptiles, birds and mammals). All extant (living) amphibians belong to the monophyletic subclass Lissamphibia, with three living orders: Anura (frogs and toads), Urodela (salamanders), and Gymnophiona (caecilians). Evolved to be mostly semiaquatic, amphibians have adapted to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living in freshwater, wetland or terrestrial ecosystems (such as riparian woodland, fossorial and even a…

Evidence: 33 • authority: 72

Olms (German: [ɔlm] ) are the nine species in the genus Proteus. They are aquatic salamanders, and the only exclusively cave-dwelling chordate genus found in Europe. The genus is assigned to the family Proteidae, along with Necturus. In contrast to most amphibians, this genus is entirely aquatic; eating, sleeping, and breeding underwater. Living in caves found in the Dinaric Alps, the genus is endemic to the waters that flow underground through the extensive limestone bedrock of the karst of Central and Southeastern Europe in the basin of the Soča River (Italian: Isonzo) near Trieste, Italy, southern Slovenia, southwestern Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Introduced populations are foun…