axolotl
noun
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Definition of axolotl
: any of several salamanders (genus Ambystoma especially A. mexicanum and A. tigrinum) of mountain lakes of Mexico and the western U.S. that ordinarily live and breed in the larval form without metamorphosing
Examples of axolotl in a Sentence
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Like the charismatic axolotl, this amphibian’s limbs are adorably stubby for its size, and a smug smile constantly plays at the corners of its slimy black mouth. — Maya Wei-haas, Smithsonian, "The Adorable Chinese Giant Salamander Is Slithering Toward Extinction," 21 May 2018 With gills that flare out when submersed, the salamander looks similar to the axolotl, a relative. — National Geographic, "Nuns Resurrect Endangered Salamanders in First-of-its-Kind Conservation Effort," 19 June 2018 The axolotl, with 32 billion DNA bases in its genome, appeared to be in this camp. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "A salamander with a genome 10 times the size of ours regrows lost limbs," 25 Jan. 2018 Officials also explained that while head gills on both the lesser siren and axolotl are similar, the two salamanders are actually grouped into different families. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "You might find this creepy, eel-like critter in Indiana waterways," 18 June 2018 The smiling pink amphibian known as the axolotl is hugely popular as a pet, but in the wild has dwindled down to just one poulation in Lake Xochimilco, outside Mexico City. — Harrison Takoff, Smithsonian, "Why You Can Walk Into a Store and Buy a Nearly Extinct Animal," 2 Apr. 2018 Once revered by Aztecs, today the axolotl appears in many forms. — Samantha Schipani, Smithsonian, "How to Save The Paradoxical Axolotl," 8 Jan. 2018 The axolotl, endangered in the wild, has been bred in laboratories and studied for more than 150 years. — Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times, "The Smiling Axolotl Hides a Secret: A Giant Genome," 1 Feb. 2018 While the axolotl genome relied on machines from Pacific Biosystems, the nanopore system would work in this regard, too. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Pocket-sized DNA reader used to scan entire human genome sequence," 30 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'axolotl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
8 Words from Nahuatl
8 Words from Nahuatl
Avocado, chocolate, and more
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Last Updated
11 Oct 2018
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The first known use of axolotl was circa 1768
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