Axolotls are critically endangered salamanders living in the lakes and canals around Xochimilco in Mexico. Unlike most salamanders, they are neotenic, which means they spend their entire lives in larval form. 

Axolotls have a distinctive silhouette, broad heads, lidless eyes, finned tails, and external gills. Wild axolotls sport dark tones, while leucistic varieties have a pale or golden coloration.