What does "axolotl" mean?

A critically endangered salamander found in the elevated lakes of Mexico, Ambystoma mexicanum.

How do you pronounce "axolotl"?

Pronounced //ˈæk.səˌlɒ.təl//.

Common synonyms include: ambystoma mexicanum, mexican salamander, mexican walking fish, mexican walking fish, mud puppy, water monster.

//ˈæk.səˌlɒ.təl// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A critically endangered salamander found in the elevated lakes of Mexico, Ambystoma mexicanum.
"She is going on a tour to see axolotls at Mexico."
2
larval salamander of mountain lakes of Mexico that usually lives without metamorphosing wordnet

"The axolotl is a strange animal that only lives in Mexico."

Orthographic borrowing from Classical Nahuatl āxōlōtl.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.