Axolotls

Axolotl’s Name

In the literature it is often referred to as the “tiger salamander“. From my experience, people are often unaware that the amphibian they keep in their aquarium is actually only a larva (like the tadpole of a frog). Now you know that it is an amphibian of the class Amphibia, part of the order Caudata, i.e. the amphibians with a tail. To be more exact, it belongs to the class Urodila or Urodelomorpha, which can be translated as salamanders. Unaware of that people mistakenly call axolotls and other salamanders lizards, little crocodiles or other animals of a similar look.

The name "Axolotl" comes from the Nahuatl Aztec language. In the mythology, Axolotl was often connected with Xolotl, the god of disfiguration and death. The most commonly established translation is the “water dog“ or the “dog hunting in water“. This translation has been based on the connection of two words, “atl“ (water) and “xolotl“ (dog).