![chimera axolotl chimera axolotl](http://foto.akvaryum.com/fotolar/138104/chimaera_21.jpg)
Pteridines are almost completely invisible under the dark eumelanin. You can see a little bit of crystallized purines in the eye ring and the tip of the gill stalks. The other pigments are also present, but not very noticeable. In this photo, we can see a lot of eumelanin. The axolotl in the photo below is a much darker wild-type: Katla, one of my dark wild-type axolotls, showing a predominance of eumelanin. If I had taken the photo with the flash on, you would have seen that those white spots are shimmery, because they are made of crystallized purines. They also have white spots on their tails. For instance, the axolotls shown above have a lot of yellow pteridines, which gives them an overall olive tint. Even though they all have the same pigments, there can be a lot of variation in wild-type appearance. You can see all three pigments expressed in the picture below: Two of my light wild-type axolotls, showing all three natural pigments: eumelanin, pteridines and crystallized purines.Īxolotls that possess all three pigments are called wild-type.
#CHIMERA AXOLOTL SKIN#
Besides looking pretty and helping with camouflage, they also come with health benefits: eumelanin helps protect the skin against UV radiation, and pteridines play an important role in the axolotl’s immune system. These are naturally present in the majority of axolotls. We’ll get back to this one later - let’s focus on the three natural pigments first. Green fluorescent proteins (bright yellow, glowing neon green under a UV light).There is also a fourth pigment that is present in some transgenic axolotls: Let’s go over the different color pigments involved, and you’ll understand what I mean. Where are you located? Are you a breeder or a shop?Īn axolotl’s coloring is the result of genetics, and to a lesser degree, environment and diet.
![chimera axolotl chimera axolotl](https://66.media.tumblr.com/34eada179aa6ec1336a6c00240bf28a1/tumblr_ocq70fm4Kh1qas1mto1_500.jpg)
Is it legal to buy/sell/own axolotls in Canada?.How do I train my axolotl to eat pellets?.How do I know if axolotls are the right pet for me and my family?.Do you ship internationally? Can you ship to the United States?.Can I house two axolotls together? Will they fight?.Axolotl sizes: what is the difference between a mini, dwarf and short toes axolotl?.Bigger is better! (Why you should get the largest tank possible).Axolotl Genetics, Part 3: Melanism and Axanthicism.Axolotl Genetics, Part 2: Mendelian Inheritance and Albinism.Axolotl Genetics, Part 1: Color Pigments.Axolotl breeding, part 1: genetic and health considerations.Introduction to the Nitrogen Cycle (Or, Why You Killed That Goldfish When You Were Little).Axolotls in the lab have reduced pigmentation and end up being a lighter pink color, while axolotls that live in nature are a darker, brown to black color. This is an example of neoteny, a type of heterochrony. So, it ends up as an adult which looks like a larva, except that it is sexually mature. A mutation in hormone production slows the development of the non-sexual tissues compared to the gonads. Genetics and development Ĭompared with land-dwelling salamanders, the sexually mature adult Axolotl is a chimera (~ mixture) of larval and adult tissues. The axolotl is currently on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. These new fish have been eating the axolotls' young, as well as its primary source of food. Non-native fish, such as African tilapia and Asian carp, have also recently been introduced to the waters. Wild axolotls are now near extinction due to population growth in Mexico City, and the polluted waters of the lake. The mudpuppies, Necturus, are fully-aquatic salamanders which are not closely related to the axolotl but bear a superficial resemblance. These are common in much of North America and also sometimes become neotenic. Axolotls are closely related to waterdogs, the larval stage of the closely related Tiger salamanders Ambystoma tigrinum and Ambystoma mavortium.