axolotl

‖n. [ The native name. ] (Zool.) An amphibian of the salamander tribe found in the elevated lakes of Mexico; the siredon. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ When it breeds in captivity the young develop into true salamanders of the genus Amblystoma. This also occurs naturally under favorable conditions, in its native localities; although it commonly lives and breeds in a larval state, with persistent external gills. See Siredon. [ 1913 Webster ]