The Salamander That Refuses to Grow Up

[@CarlosBeo]

Imagine being an Axolotl that figured out how to stay young and some dude comes along and just turns you old, what a bummer. 😂

[@oucyan]

mood

[@glenngriffon8032]

and doing it by feeding you a thyroid burger

[@FoxDren]

And then they chop your leg off to see if it regrows

[@samuelthomas8777]

And they wonder why there's only like 1200 of them left

[@moragmacgregor6792]

best thread

[@yoursotruly]

"Why grow up?", that's a question I axolotl.

[@DMTrance87]

Underrated comment 🤣

[@IceMetalPunk]

Someone call Master Therion and tell him he has competition! 😂

[@philippebrehier7386]

Sir Yoursotruly. I take my hat off to you. :-)

[@susanritter2520]

You win The Internet! 👏👏👏🥇🏆🥇👏👏👏

[@manjensen1710]

I need to see this pun on a MinuteEarth video ASAP.

[@RevCode]

Axolotl: "Ah, this is the perfect life, forever beeing youthful.." Scientist: "Yeah, about that.."

[@greenredblue]

Axolotl: "This is the worst thing that could possibly happen." Scientist: "Now let's see if you can still regrow limbs."

[@3th1xs]

😭

[@Crispr00]

@@greenredblue E N O U G H 😭😭😭😭😭

[@jerungbiru55]

@@greenredblue STOP😭

[@tanyanguyen3704]

@@greenredblue on your head…

[@snailmp3]

Please do research before getting one of these if you're interested. they're very fun to have and interesting pets, but they can be a lot of work. they require a lot of space, frequent tank cleaning, a lot of food, etc. edit: fish & aquatic animals in general require more work than most people think (a goldfish in a fish bowl is pretty much never a good idea) and axolotls are quite big so they make a lot of waste that needs to be cleaned up frequently. temperature regulation if you live in warmer climates is often necessary because they can die if their water is too warm. i believe 10-15 gallons is the minimum space required to house a fully grown axolotl. Dont get me wrong, they're very rewarding to own and super fun to watch, but if you dont have the time and money to invest in making sure they are living a healthy life then it's best to either not get them or wait until you do 💕

[@daemonace5910]

Was imagining getting one a few weeks ago. Frequent tank cleaning? Guess I'll stick to watching them online :/

[@snailmp3]

@@daemonace5910 yeah, they're pretty big (up to 11 inches long in some cases) so their poops are really big too lol. a lot a waste can make the water conditions hard to maintain, not to mention regulating the temperature (they need slightly cooler water than standard room temperature) ಠ_ಠ

[@rebekahland2685]

I think the axolotl was an easier aquatic animal than most. I keep our house at 70-72 and the tank is above our AC staying around 66. I guess we change the water a lot, but the best thing we did was get a turkey baster to clean the tank with, that made things super easy. Also, the bigger the tank, the better the temperature stays.

[@user-of8sy3oi8v]

@@daemonace5910 just so you know, every pet needs frequent cleaning in some way or form, all pets kept in aquariums need weekly water changes!

[@sandrajyg1999]

And an endangered species

[@aarw4907]

Forgot to mention that when an axolotl Metamorphosis completely it’s life expectancy decreases substantially that it’s larval/adult counterpart

[@almahayworth4280]

And they often don't make it thru the metamorphosis!

[@ulti-mantis]

Probably because of the stress of having to work to pay bills and taxes

[@crackedemerald4930]

@@RickyxReaper i don't think many people have available thyroid glands or hormones to use on their pet axolotl

[@douglasgrant5264]

@@crackedemerald4930 they give you thyroid hormones if you're thyroid doesn't work well so a lot of people have them.

[@crackedemerald4930]

@@douglasgrant5264 I did not know that

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

My high school bio teacher had one of these little nuggets. They're such cool, slimy little things.

[@philiproler5572]

thats just a joke i couldnt hold back but: i also have a cool slimy thing in my pants.

[@huldu]

Same here over 20 years ago. The bio teacher had an aquarium inside the classroom. Guess what happened one day? Some idiot poured dishwashing soap into it. At least from that point onward they built a case that was locked on top of the tanks in all school aquariums. I remember it to this day that teacher was RAGING mad I think he quit a year later probably not the reason lol but you never know.

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

@@huldu Oh no! What a mean thing to do. :-( I would probably quit also.

[@chrispeacock1257]

My high school bio teacher had paedomorphasis. Something like that anyway.

[@armel2467]

Good for your teacher because this creatures are extremely hard to keep, everything must be at a normal level, temperarure, oxygen concentration in the water, pH and diet

[@anhedonicauthor]

Evolution was like: Oh grow up. And the axolotl was like: And I took that personally.

[@solar0wind]

I learnt in my biology bachelor's that staying neotene was an adaption fo water with a low iodine content. Iodine is necessary for thyroids, so the axolotls evolved to be able to reproduce without needing as much of it, i.e. cutting out metamorphosis.

[@NijikaiClub]

@@louisfalcone5494 You should get off anything based on science then.

[@DefnitelyNotFred]

@@louisfalcone5494 your existence sounds exhausting

[@almahayworth4280]

Please be careful with that info. My old job used to get countless dead/dying axolotl because people heard they could force metamorphosis with iodine. If they didn't die of being poisoned, they usually died of the stress of their bodies attempting morph. The only successful morph I'd ever seen died within the year...its hard on their bodies and isn't some fun little experiment like giving your plant music and compliments. Its very very very sad to watch them go through such an agonizing, traumatic and unnecessary death.

[@DreaOnzagle]

My sister has two axolotls! They’re very “head empty, no thoughts,” but we love them.

[@lovelandfrog5692]

Fun fact: axolotl means “water dog” in Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztecs and their descendants. It’s actually pronounced “ah-sho-lot-ull”.

[@sintanan469]

You don't pronounce "lotl" as two syllables when the "tl" end a word. It's "lot" with breathing around your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth. There's no letter to represent sound, so its easier to drop the l from the tl. Like how we dropped the l from ocelotl to get ocelot. If you want to get the sound for "tl" right, shape your mouth to say the "t" in "tea", but instead say the "h" in "high".

[@malachite072]

There isn't a vowel between native Aztec/Mayan words with "tl". That's only the pronunciation used in other languages like English and Spanish. It's actually more like a sharp unvocalized th in English or a Spanish "t" mixed with the "l" sound from the the back of the mouth right after

[@tardarsauce3355]

I did a project on this animal a few years back in my evolutionary genetics class. I hypothesized that the axolotl retained its infantile features because there were lots of vicious predators on land that drove them to stay in the water

[@juniormynos9457]

So what are their behaviours when they metamorphosise to adult form? What do they eat? Can they hunt? Do they become terrestrial? How long do they live? Can they mate? Do they make viable offsprings? Do the offsprings naturally metamorphosise to adult form? So much interesting questions need to be asked.

[@xavierrosado8575]

They basically transform in adult (tiger) salamanders. Yes they do all that is normal on a salamander. Their offspring are regular Axolotl. sadly they only live a year

[@eacalvert]

Good set of questions

[@daemonace5910]

@@xavierrosado8575 So that means their behaviour would also become like those of other salamanders despite this difference nature they have?

[@101wormwood]

Theyll typically die. Im not an expert but I raise and have bred them. Their natural range is small and polluted so theyre afaik pretty close to extinct in the wild. If forced in nature to morph due to stress theyll likely be in a really bad way already. In captivity they can live 20yrs. My oldest is about 8 or 9 years old. Ive never had one "accidentally" morph out, anyone that ive spoken with says that they die quickly after if not during morph as its only harsh stresses that cause them to try to morph as a last ditch survival.

[@hop-skip-ouch8798]

Everything stays the same but they talk about the good old days more.

[@owlivdejong5086]

There was a population of tiger salamanders that got caught in the water at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant in Wisconsin and to survive they had to stay in larval form like axolotis do.

[@philiproler5572]

if thats true then its pretty interesting. but just another proof that living creatures just do what they "think" is needed to survive/reproduce.

[@owlivdejong5086]

@@philiproler5572 I'm pretty sure Emily at Snake Discovery has one. She thought she had an axolotl, but turns out it's a larval tiger salamander that never morphed. She's in Wisconsin where the population was trapped. Animals would fall in and most drown but enough of the salamanders learned to adapt that a new population formed. There were even sightings of fully morphed salamanders living aquatic lifestyles at the ammo plant.

[@fluffyunicorn57]

Was it due to individuals in a species reacting to the environment and not undergoing changes (like how certain bug species can revert back to being grubs during severe shortages) or was it natural selection, with only certain members having a rare genetic mutation?

[@owlivdejong5086]

@@fluffyunicorn57 The ammo plant had a big holding tank that filled with water and was impossible to escape. Salamanders that dropped in either died or evolved to survive in a permanent aquatic habitat as they couldn't escape. It was spectaculated that most would morph to adults if given access to land, but not all. The animals were discovered when they were making preparations to remove the ammo plant in 2013 so the population is long gone, but it was an interesting study.

[@fluffyunicorn57]

​@@owlivdejong5086 Okay, so it was natural selection. I was wondering if they had some inborn ability.

[@GandalfTheTsaagan]

Wait until you hear about olms, which are also neotenic but they're "immune" to the thyroid hormones

[@mistysudios9855]

Mhm, olms are severely underrated creatures! Too bad everyone only likes axolotls and not olms, I find olms much more interesting.

[@WolfgangDoW]

Olms aren't as cute to most people sadly Have they found anything that triggers metamorphosis in olms yet?

[@GandalfTheTsaagan]

@@WolfgangDoW not that I know. Apparently their cells just block the hormones preventing them from triggering the metamorphosis instead of getting rid of the them. There's one population that lives closer to the surface (unlike the rest that live deeper underground) that's called "black olms" that have darker skin, better developed eyes, somewhat shorter and more defined back legs. But otherwise they're just as neotenic.

[@onebilliontacos3405]

@@GandalfTheTsaagan I have seen those before. Very interesting little fellows. To think that they can live to over a century is astonishing as well!

[@onebilliontacos3405]

I actually didn't know that. Makes you wonder why they aren't studied more.

[@JasonB808]

“Scientists are using hormones to make the salamander grow and have adult features” So basically Scientists are evolving their Pokémon. 😉

[@pqbdwmnu]

What stone do you need?

[@chikinnuggets4231]

Imagine being forced to evolve into super adulthood

[@tacklessstone0369]

Rare candies

[@dollybelfiore7628]

@@chikinnuggets4231 Provided. they 'bring me back' to childhood as soon as I realize that being a grown-up is not all it's cracked up to be?...I'm OK with THAT!

[@chikinnuggets4231]

@@dollybelfiore7628uhhh I'm talking about axolotls???

[@EduardoMartinez-fk2pv]

I love how few native nahuatl speakers there are and how much influence their language has; México, chocolate, axolotl, ocelot, coyote, taco, etc...

[@WolfgangDoW]

Ocelotl :3

[@pukingdeserthobo]

A lot more than you think.

[@antoniousai1989]

I mean, there are like 20 words from it in English. Do you have any idea how many Greek or Arabic words do we use?

[@lonestarr1490]

@@antoniousai1989 That's not a fair comparison. How many coptic or Inuktitut words do you use?

[@gwen6622]

part of that just has to do with those things being native to this area. there were no english speakers there until relatively recently in the grand scheme of history, so it makes sense that we wouldnt have a native english word for axolotl or coyote. or avocado or guacamole, two other nahuatl words that are pretty important nowadays (both are spelled very spanish-y now, but come from ahuacatl and ahuacamolli). most of the native wildlife and things derived from it in north and south america are from indigenous languages, which is either beautiful or sad depending on who you ask, because it preserves languages that have been made extinct or nearly extinct because of the very same contact that led to us using those words

[@Ash-hi5hy]

I have an Axi, and I adore her to pieces! She knows my voice and will swim over to me for food! Such a sweet little creature.

[@amayasandkylen4256]

That’s adorable

[@vitalino1981]

"Forever young I want to be forever young Do you really want to live forever? Forever, and ever.." - sang Axolotl to a scientist.

[@TheMiningMeteor]

YEAH AXOLOTL VIDEO

[@2doors468]

Your enthusiasm. I like it!

[@ilyestanki7618]

YEAH SALAMANDER VIDEO

[@oCannonxo]

I did my master's thesis on Tiger Salamanders, and they are even cooler than Axolotl's. Tiger Salamanders exhibit what is called "facultative paedomorphosis" which basically means that based upon the environmental conditions they can be paedomorphic (like Axolotol's), but they can also have a regular bi-phasic life-history (like a frog). It is cool work. I wish I was still doing it.

[@ELWest1000]

I love them the way they are; they're so cute.

[@capootiscrepitoos]

I know this seems kind of random, but I love creating characters and stories, and I actually wrote a screenplay for a christmas themed horror movie where the monster is based on an axolotl. I just wanted to base my monster off of an animal that was cute but very easy to corrupt.

[@ELWest1000]

@@capootiscrepitoos noooooo not an evil axolotl! Lol

[@Melty-pup]

Fun fact! The word Axolotl comes from the Aztec language, Nahuatl! (Nah-hwat) The x is pronounced more like an "sh" and the L in "tl" is actually silent. The way to pronounce the word is actually "Asholot"! (Axolotl) Neat video Owo

[@ilyestanki7618]

I love you 💛

[@ledlebrgr5380]

I know it's based off an otter, but the first thing I thought of after reading "Asholot" was the Pokemon, Oshawott

[@missink1728]

Sounds like an onion, shallot. 🧅

[@jupiterskiss]

@@ledlebrgr5380 Ok good. Wasn't just me lol.

[@jasepoag8930]

I was wondering about that. I was wondering if it was pronounced like the X in Mexico (in spanish) or Oxaca rather than the X that sounds like the English letter.

[@jeremysleeper799]

I have two of these and they are the cutest little dudes, they do take a lot of work though!

[@chrisjimenez1323]

So use the thyroid stone to evolve Axolotl, thanks I’ve been stuck on this gameplay mechanic for years.

[@nunyabiznes33]

Quagsire

[@2lazy2p4now]

I've got one of these! My brother in law had a few and accidentally breed them, didn't separate them soon enough, and he gave us one!

[@catbroke1797]

Wait-I’m low on T4-have been since 16… omfg, new spirit animal unlocked

[@9Tensai9]

Do you still look like you are 16? Cuz we may be onto something if we realize the thyroidal hormones are linked to aging.

[@evilsharkey8954]

Everyone’s always talking about the amazing axolotl, but mudpuppy salamanders are also neotenous with adult gills and are way more abundant in the wild.

[@user-hf6vy8xc4i]

👋 so many people’s favourites animal

[@TheT3d3K]

My favorite is platypus ^^

[@user-hf6vy8xc4i]

@@louisfalcone5494 it’s a very machiavellian ideology you describe there. “The ends justify the means.” (I don’t agree with it just pointing it out)

[@user-hf6vy8xc4i]

@@TheT3d3K mine seems to change with my mood. I have much love for all animals

[@algarcia689]

@@louisfalcone5494 Do you personally know any scientist that tortures animals?, because I live near the Ambystoma mexicanum habitat and I personally know a couple of scientists at my university that are entirely dedicated to their conservation, and several more dedicated to the conservation and restoration of other species and their habitats, I personally have had to sacrifice several specimens to promote their conservation because you cannot do anything unless we have enough information; saying that ALL scientists are evil is almost as dumb as saying (especially now) that we should not do any research and let sick people die.

[@L1ghtRe4per]

I love my axolotl

[@user-vm6oz6wt5g]

I love these things. I’ve never seen one in person but they are so fascinating and CUTE!!

[@andyplaysgundam]

To be a philosopher, one must Axolotl questions.

[@Tumblejackk]

this is like a real pokemon and giving it a stone to make it evolve

[@aspeckofstardust]

I haven’t heard anything about this creature since over a decade ago in college, and now it’s popped up three times for me in two weeks: first my pregnancy app told me that my baby is the size of one (not very helpful), then my friend announced her child is taking Axolotl as their chosen name, and now this video. So bizarre!

[@PoggersTheBee]

I was watching bionic and my dad knowing I love axolotls told me to watch this, I do not regret a thing

[@theoverseer393]

Thank you, I hadn’t realized this was capable, as I’ve never seen photos

[@kevinlane1219]

I was hoping this would be about some sort of eternal youth.

[@melvinshine9841]

That thumbnail is precious.

[@TomsBackyardWorkshop]

Interesting. I have hypothyroidism. It wasn't diagnosed until I was almost 40 but I was showing symptoms in my early teens I wonder it it was the cause of my severe social anxiety.

[@ilyestanki7618]

GG

[@General12th]

@@ilyestanki7618 no re

[@ilexater9556]

It could be. The thyroid hormones have a stupid amount of influence on things from your mental health to reproductive cycles in women (I don't know about men). I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 15 and learning about what can be affected is exhausting. My sister went off her levothyroxine for a long while and it resulted in kidney and liver damage. It's not a gland to be messed with.

[@inzomniacZz]

I wonder if thyroid has something to do with a human's appearance too? I've been always told I had a baby face, majority of my family looks quite young for their age. Later in life I was found to have an under active thyroid and was given Levothyroxine to help treat it- my other family members who also appear young also have been diagnosed with under active thyroids. Is it a coincidence or is there something there?

[@dietherboy]

the future of humanity: forever baby/child

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

Axolotls are basically real-life Pokemon. Gamefreak knew what they were doing when they designed Wooper in Gen 2.

[@hasanzuhaib8408]

And Mudkip in Gen 3

[@selkiefluff]

I don't know why, but the idea of feeding other animals' thyroids to axolotls only to one day notice they changed significantly in appearance seems so incredibly freaky to me.

[@moragmacgregor6792]

Exactly. Why would they do that, especially after mad cow disease

[@jerryking7502]

The mud puppy is another like that here in Southern Ontario, Canada...

[@ky7840]

I have a few of these guys and I love them so much. I call them water puppies. They are so cute they all have there own personalities lmao.

[@Taka-Kevz]

I'll stick with their regular form thank you very much.

[@GeeklingNo1]

Minecraft brought axolotls into the public eye and although I’m sure they contributed to a lot of uneducated people owning them, they still put an endangered species into the limelight so people can help them and that’s cool. I wished you’d mentioned their habitat risks.

[@walrus4046]

I enjoyed this video Thanxalotl!

[@duskomorientes5088]

Shouldn't they be called axolittles then?

[@ReasonablySkeptic]

So you're saying scientist FORCEFULLY started puberty on these salamanders? That's the funniest most messed up thing i've ever heard! Savage!

[@saugesmith2760]

Axolotls are one of my favorite animals, I'm hoping I can own one (and a frog) later in my life

[@snailmp3]

they're super fun pets! i hope you're able to get one eventually :)

[@taylorleeforcongress8470]

Make sure you let them reproduce, it's cruel to not have the chance, especially for our endangered amphibians.

[@snailmp3]

@@taylorleeforcongress8470 if they're kept in captivity as pets, reproduction is not necessary as it will not affect the wild population and their status as endangered. breeding them without a lot of knowledge and experience is not a good idea. an axolotl can be expensive and time consuming to care for, let alone if you had many many many babies

[@dollybelfiore7628]

@@snailmp3 WoW! that's a lot to take in... I never new they existed, let alone their plight. Than'x 4 sharing your knowledge. We've had a few bearded dragons and that's about it...reptilian speaking. (I forgot frogs & turtles...RIP)

[@leam89]

Hope you get to keep one someday. I bred them for years. The two biggest challenges I'd say are learning the nitrogen cycle and keeping them cool enough. They will straight up die if kept too hot.

[@andersonklein3587]

The real question is whether you can use that to manipulate aging in humans. Controlling how your body matures, when, and how much. That sounds like a very powerful tool.

[@philwomack6841]

Poor Axolotl, suddenly forced into being a land animal with no idea how to function like that

[@OnTopoftheSun]

I love axolotls!! ❤️ 💝

[@whatsuplouisvile]

I feel very dumb rn because before watching this I just naturally assumed that the thyroid muscle was located in or close to the thigh

[@convictaussie3088]

I have two Axolotls at home. They are best Aquatic pets. They are very social and intelligent. They learn how to ask for food and other things. They also love a head boop.

[@kyli1204]

I will literally never in my life forget talking about the similarities between axolotls & tadpoles & with a “breeder” at a reptile show & this man looked me in the face & said “what are you talking about? They are nothing alike”….

[@diamondjub2318]

Axolotls may be adorable and all, but nobody mentions their freaky cave cousins, the Olm

[@nerdexproject]

Yep! Just saw the Olm last week in one of the world's largests caves in Slovenia! :D

[@ItsCliffy]

So when you induce metamorphosis onto an axolotl does it know how to behave and live as an “adult” or does it continue to live and behave the same as always?

[@daemonace5910]

Exactly what kept going in my mind

[@hughmungus5033]

I was wondering the same thing

[@philiproler5572]

axolotls still grow up to adults. just parts of them dont. and these are forced to "grow up" not the whole animal.

[@hughmungus5033]

@@philiproler5572 but do they know what to do when they are forced to "grow up"

[@shanleeb777]

Yes they do, they're forced to, they lose their gills etc and need their whole environment to change to survive. I would say it works more on instinct, kind of like tadpoles > frogs

[@sor3999]

Casually just mentioning scientists taking away their eternal youth and Wolverine regen powers.

[@foxenfenny5077]

They just need their special item to evolve

[@derekbauer2125]

That’s some craaaaazy stuff right there

[@AskMia411]

0:35 I nearly choked on my ice cream because A) was not expecting that, and B) i have never seen an adult animal that looks so much like an eccentric great uncle that collects spoons.

[@dr.brandileebunge]

How interesting I L💚ve Sci~Show!!! Michael a cutie & brilliant to boot!!!😊🙌🎓 Thank you for your time & talents in channel/content.💯🙌🎥💎🌞🎉🔬🔭📚🐾

[@LuinTathren]

SO CUTE!

[@LuinTathren]

@@louisfalcone5494 Please leave me alone. This is not the first time you have harassed me. I'm filing a complaint with KZbin.

[@realsalu634]

They are literally the Wooper/Mudkip of real life, they can even evolve

[@IceMetalPunk]

There's another animal, I think a type of salamander, which can metamorphose differently into different forms depending on its environment, like branching Pokemon evolutions. I unfortunately can't remember the species, so I can't find it online again :(

[@realsalu634]

@@IceMetalPunk Salamanders are really interesting animals, i really like them

[@camarin713]

I’m a simple person. I see an axolotl, I click.

[@noahle6216]

During adolesents, other species like the tiger salamander, can look a lot like axolotls. they have frilly gills for breathing underwater and tails for swimming around during metamorphosis, they loose these features for life on land.

[@waterunderthebridge7950]

This kinda reminds me of that one domesticated plant that just refuses to flower and produce fruits, both are kinda my spirit animal/plant xD

[@kari548]

What's it called

[@taylorleeforcongress8470]

So being useless and dead ended inspires you. Weird flex.

[@hayleysmith8398]

@@kari548 I think they’re referring to pothos

[@philiproler5572]

@@taylorleeforcongress8470 the power to not do sth youre supposed to do. basically telling god "fck u i have my own free will". thats what you call "useless"

[@waterunderthebridge7950]

@@taylorleeforcongress8470 I mean I’m more on the “going against the flow because you can and still living your best life” bit but whatever floats your boat, I guess. There’s always gonna be some people like that axolotl on hormones, grey, old and bitter

[@oldcowbb]

i'm convinced these guys are from the hidden magic world

[@Ginngersnaps32]

This is my kid's favorite animal!

[@AshelehsA]

Finally able to evolve that Mudkip into a Swampert

[@dibershai6009]

But sometimes they don't make it thru so they should most likely remain as mudkips

[@gwen6622]

dont do my boy marshtomp like that

[@arthurheine5631]

wooper and quagsire are the official axolotls pokemon Mudkips are technically "Mud Skippers" (check them out, cool fishies), with heavy inspiration from the axolotl

[@seekingabsolution1907]

Seems like maturing is an objectively detrimental thing for Axolotls. I mean they lose their gills, lose their regenerative abilities, is there any advantage at all to this?

[@tatum635]

When axolotl are forced into metamorphosis they die soon after.

[@teathesilkwing7616]

It can be used to study ways to stop it. It happens with pet Axolotls too, so researching it could help prevent it

[@kimbratton9620]

Axolotls sure are unique!

[@adamfernandez3846]

Congratulations your Axol has evolved into an Axolotl

[@howitzer551]

Hey does anyone know if Mud Puppies are the similar. The right time of year I used to catch Mud puppies while ice fishing, there was even a seiche(water pushed to one side of the lake) in early winter one year and these guys were trapped in pools getting picked off by birds so I got my first pet, Swimmer(bad name I know, I was like 7) until here got too big for the tank and we let him go back into Lake Erie. Childhood memories aside, Mud Puppies are fully aquatic(at least I think) salamanders with very similar gills do they do it the same way through Neoteny and not growing up thing as Axolotls.

[@josephdonais3436]

Refusing to grow up, yaay! You have discovered the direct link to my ancestors! Woot woot!

[@平和-v1z]

They look so cool...

[@Kuwassu]

The Mudkip line hits different now

[@ngantnier]

Wish there were neotenic frogs. Imagine an entire species of tadpoles without legs. Especially the glass clear tadpoles of Xenopus laevis.

[@IJGR98]

In fact, the head of government of Mexico City, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum, is going to build an axolotl-museum and research center ❤️

[@miltank4384]

me when someone tells me to grow up:

[@SaltpeterTaffy]

When I hear "baby-faced", I think of the face of a baby. Duh.

[@jamc666]

Fascinating little animal... Used to have half a dozens of them 😁😁. Sadly they are almost extinct in the wild.

[@spiritmatter1553]

Someone could literally create a Critical Theory around neoteny….like how it struggles in an adultonormative world…!

[@cheeseguzzler6269]

This is unusually strange. Now put its gills back, please.

[@komoriaimi]

I think I finally found my spirit animal.

[@gemmi42]

Weird science I didn't know I needed to research! Thanks 💚

[@aronbakker4014]

Cuter than a aquarium of axolotls? I doubt that. Prove it!

[@mcgeorge]

messing about with hormones seems a bit much when an injection of iodine works to induce metamorphosis but ether way the axolotl will probably die

[@Frankie_He]

I would like humans to have this power this way we can look young our whole life

[@oskarhenriksen]

Could make it hard to get a driver's license. Or a partner. Or a job.

[@oskarhenriksen]

@Freiya Briedis But then you'd never know how old people around you were! Would definitely freak me out 😛

[@angeldude101]

@@oskarhenriksen True... but doesn't that _already happen?_ I'm 24 and I have none of those things. They're mostly unrelated to my youthful appearance, but still...

[@oskarhenriksen]

@@angeldude101 I'm 36 and only barely have the latter... But I suspect it could get much worse.

[@bryndot6904]

Fun fact! There's lakes in Montana that contain Axolotls! Though due to environmental changes, their numbers are quickly dropping.

[@wtficantfindagoodnam]

Have a like just because of that thumbnail, it's cute as all heck!

[@audio_video115_Gaming]

What happens if you get a fully metamorphosized axolotl and try to breed it with another fully metamorphosized axolotl will the babies just come out normal because they're still genetically the same as before or will there be different hormones released while the female carries eggs affecting the expressed genes in her offspring differently than if she was not fully metamorphosized and to reproduce

[@snailmp3]

i used to have a couple of these cute babies 😻

[@meestyouyouestme3753]

Axotol: Foreeeever young. I want to be foreeevee young. Scientist: no.

[@AwkwardKidAdventures]

Man. I can't afford my hypothyroid meds, so I had to stop taking them. If only I was a salamander, I could be fed them for free. :P

[@thedistantprinceinyouremai6345]

Axolotls in a large group can also fully body an ocean monument with you in minecraft, it’s big fun

[@IceMetalPunk]

Thank you! I've been scrolling through the comments for 10 minutes now wondering if I'd have to be the first one to reference Minecraft.

[@thedistantprinceinyouremai6345]

@@IceMetalPunk do you have a blue one yet?

[@IceMetalPunk]

@@thedistantprinceinyouremai6345 I tend to play in creative mode, so it's not a goal of mine :)

[@thepokeybird]

There’s also the Texas Blind Salamander that lives in San Marcos

[@marginbuu212]

Bout time scientists forced them to grow up. If I have to grow up and get a job, they should too.

[@anyascelticcreations]

There's Michael! 👍I was beginning to get a little worried that je might have left.

[@songofshadow5043]

The first thing I thought of when I saw the title of this video was Emily's salamander on Snake Discovery. It's been a while since I've seen it (either it hasn't been in videos or I missed the video it's in), but it's a normal salamander that just refuses to grow up.