line art drawing of an axolotle.
Source Archives of Pearson Scott Foresman, donated to the Wikimedia Foundation
Author Pearson Scott Foresman
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Axolotle_(PSF).png

The axolotl also known as a Mexican salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum) or a Mexican walking fish, is a neotenic salamander, closely related to the tiger salamander. Although the axolotl is colloquially known as a "walking fish", it is not a fish, but an amphibian. The species originates from numerous lakes, such as Lake Xochimilco underlying Mexico City. Axolotls are unusual among amphibians in that they reach adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis. Instead of developing lungs and taking to land, the adults remain aquatic and gilled.