#neotony

Ohmigosh,,what a cutie!

Evolutionary quirks

Neotony is the retention of juvenile traits or behaviours in organisms - it can be plainly seen in some adult dogs that still act and look like puppies, and has been shown to occur in humans. Neoteny is exhibited in the axolotl as it has the ability to reach sexual maturity without leaving its juvenile stage of growth.

Amphibians usually undergo a metamorphosis from juvenile larvae to a sexual adult, transitioning from an aquatic lifestyle (living only in water, e.g a tadpole) to an amphibious one (can survive on land but still relies on water to survive, e.g an adult frog). Axolotls look like young salamanders, seen by the retention of its external gills for the entirety of its life, but are a completely separate species, having diverged from salamanders at some point in the past. They are able to reproduce even while staying in this juvenile stage.

It is supposed that these amphibians do not have the hormonal capacity to surpass their juvenile life stage. Curiously though, scientists have discovered a way to induce an axolotl to metamorphose. A precise dose of iodine triggers an explosion of hormones that causes the axolotl to ‘grow up’, and resemble a salamander. Anyone who reads this, owns an axolotl and wants to follow by example, please don’t: the wrong dose will more than likely kill the axolotl. If your pet miraculously survives, it will be weak and listless, and no better off than it was before you wanted to experiment on it.

Ash

"Their heads were tucked down as if they were bashful or playing a game of hide-and-seek. Perhaps they’re hoping that they can camouflage themselves even against metamorphosis..."