4 new andersoni

ZombieAxolotl

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Katie
After all the stress of the new fridge friends I got yesterday, it was nice to just sit and watch the new andersoni pups I got :)

bad photos, but they are still so gorgeous and pudgy

zombieaxolotl-albums-ambystoma-andersoni-picture18255-3-4-new-pups.jpg


zombieaxolotl-albums-ambystoma-andersoni-picture18254-unsexed-andersoni-pup.jpg


zombieaxolotl-albums-ambystoma-andersoni-picture18253-unsexed-andersoni-pup.jpg
 
Im very envious, cant seem to get them in the uk yet.
 
andersoni? Is that another name for a morph I've heard of, or something different?
 
andersoni? Is that another name for a morph I've heard of, or something different?

Its a related species of axolotl, Ambystoma andersoni or andersons salamander the usual axolotl talked about in the forums is Ambystoma mexicanum.
 
So do they eventually morph to semi-aquatic?
 
Ambystoma andersoni are also neotenic, like axolotls. They seem to have a higher rate of natural metamorphosis than axolotls (A. mexicanum), but it's still unusual for Anderson's to morph.
 
wow, so they're actually a different species? Thats cool! Are they endangered in the wild as well? Is there any big difference between the species? can they cross breed? If so, does it create a breeding individual, or a sterile hybrid?
 
They are a completely different species.

They're not a listed species, but like axolotls, their native range is extremely limited and threatened by human development. By definition of the word, yes, they're endangered. But unlike axolotls, they currently have little legal protection.

The differences between the species are minimal. They only diverged as two separate species because of geographic isolation, much like all the other neotenic salamanders of Mexico (there are a dozen, give or take).

They can interbreed, but I cannot more strongly recommend NOT cross-breeding them. Unlike axolotls, Ambystoma andersoni genetics are relatively pure and unadulterated. Interbreeding them will just muddy up the gene pool and create problems in the future in regards to possible re-release programs (no matter how slim).

The hybrid would probably be fertile, causing further problems. There's a scientific principle called the Hybrid Vigor theory, where the hybrid between two species is actually larger and stronger than either parent species, and is therefore able to outcompete them for resources. This is why all ambystomatids are illegal in California; the Federally protected California Tiger Salamander resides there, and by preventing all other ambystomatids from coming into the state, they're trying to keep it's genetics pure and remove the possibility of outcompeting hybrid offspring.
 
I just wanted to know for genetic reasons, don't worry about that. I wanted to know just how close they are to Axolotls. Pretty close, by the sounds of it. They must not be far off from a common ancestral root.
 
I think all species of neotenic mexican salamanders were, until quite recently, considered sub-species of tiger salamanders.
 
They look like they have some growing to do. They don't look colored up yet. Wait til they are grown you will be blown away. Pictures never really do them justice.
 
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