Mexican Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) close up, front view, underwater.
The axolotl is actually a species of salamander, although unlike some of its reptilian bretheren it is not amphibious, spending its entire life underwater. Closely related to the Tiger Salamander, the Axolotl is nearly extinct in the wild, with fewer than 1,200 animals remaining in the Xochimilco area of central Mexico, its last remaining unspoiled habitat.