Ajolote

1. PK
   July 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 am

   /me looks at the head and little feet: "Awwwwww"
   /me looks down its long long creepy tail: "Ewwwwww"
   /me looks back up to the head: "Awwwwww"
   /me looks back down to the tail: "Ewwwwww"

2. Evilbeagle
   July 22nd, 2008 at 9:53 am

   He's cute!

3. matt
   July 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 am

   PK - absolutely. and thanks for making me laugh.

   Shopkeeper: Take this object, but beware: it carries a terrible curse!
   Homer: Oooh, that's bad.
   Shopkeeper: But it comes with a free Frogurt!
   Homer: That's good!
   Shopkeeper: The Frogurt is also cursed.
   Homer: That's bad.
   Shopkeeper: But you get your choice of toppings!
   Homer: That's good!
   Shopkeeper: The toppings contain sodium benzoate.
   [Homer looks puzzled.] That's bad.!?
   Homer: Can I go now?

4. alison
   July 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 am

   wow that's really creepy! and really cute! I don't know how I feel about it at all!

5. Andres M.
   July 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 am

   Ahhh yes, my beloved Mexico. Home of beautiful and creepy things. Sometimes beatufully creepy, like the ajolote.

6. SenorMysterioso
   July 22nd, 2008 at 10:38 am

   I had the same reaction... hey cute, oh wait what the, oh yeah cute little, no that aint right

   check out the axolotl - an oddly cute mexican amphibian

7. Ratz
   July 22nd, 2008 at 10:42 am

   This seems to be quite a similar (aquatic) version of same.

   http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sireni dae.html

8. Video Game Dork
   July 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 am

   what evolution?

9. Video Game Dork
   July 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 am

   heh heh...

   http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=1599698&g=1

10. ConstNT
    July 22nd, 2008 at 12:01 pm

    At first I thought that was a fake, but here comes the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5FFghfc0F4

11. ConstNT
    July 22nd, 2008 at 12:02 pm

    And actual name of the creature is "bipes biporus".

12. ummm
    July 22nd, 2008 at 1:57 pm

    Ratz, except sirens are amphibians and amphisbaenians are reptiles like snakes and lizards.

13. Ali S.
    July 22nd, 2008 at 2:08 pm

    What the heck?! It's like a giant worm with hands and a mouth and eyes.

    And, yes, I also did the "Awwww!" and "Ewwww!" with a few "Kill it fire!!" moments.

14. chago
    July 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 pm

    that is not an ajolote.
    an ajolote or "axolotl" is the common american salamander but in the valley of central mexico, due to the lack of iodine in the water it retains its gills through adulthood.Salamanders like other amphibians have gills in their larval phase like tadpoles.but loose them when they reach adulthood. another intresting fact about axolotls is that they can regrow full limbs if severed.
    cheers from mexico city

15. eli skipp
    July 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 pm

    @chago You, sir, are wrong! That up there is an ajolote, but this is an axolotl: http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2004/art/axolotl.jpg

    The names are very similar which is why I checked too! Perhaps they ought to do an axolotl article to go along with the ajolote one? I mean c'mon, look how cute that little guy is. And here's the baby: http://splinteredsunrise.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/axolotl.jpg

16. Nicholas Dollak
    July 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm

    Ajolote are an example of an "intermediate" phase between lizards and snakes. Modern snakes are descended from at least one type of lizard, which initially found the loss of first back, then the remaining front, legs to be advantageous when burrowing. Although snakes later subdivided into many more varieties, some of which do not burrow, the legs do not seem to have returned. (There were several legless prehistoric reptiles that superficially resembled snakes, but which are extinct.)

    On a less technical note, it sure is cute! So's the unrelated amphibian axolotl (with the nearly identically-pronounced name).

17. Ajan
    July 23rd, 2008 at 12:43 am

    I agree with evryone...
    it has both the "aaaaawwww" and "eeeeewwww" characteristics

18. neko
    July 24th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    to quote i forum i found this on the other day, "it's cute for the first two inches, then you notice it's not going to end."

19. Evilbeagle
    July 26th, 2008 at 7:14 am

    I might be the only one that really didn't get the "ewwww" part. But then, I think alligators are adorable too.

20. pr
    July 27th, 2008 at 11:53 pm

    The axolote and the ajolote aren't the same.

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