Was Tom really an axie?

[FishHobby99]

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Quite possibly since a small percentage of Axies do continue from larval form to become fully landbased Salamanders

If an Axie is changing form, the tail thins and lengthens, the legs get slightly longer, claws start to form on the toes and the external gill feathers start to regress into the head

 

[FishHobby99]

Quite possibly since a small percentage of Axies do continue from larval form to become fully landbased Salamanders

If an Axie is changing form, the tail thins and lengthens, the legs get slightly longer, claws start to form on the toes and the external gill feathers start to regress into the head

I am reading it’s very rare.They maintain the larval form due to an environmental lack of iodine, which is required to stimulate the thyroid. Laboratory injections of iodine & thyroid stimulating hormone will trigger metamorphosis. Outside the lab, cannibalism and rare exposures to iodine will result in terrestrial animals that don’t fare well. Very rare events.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

The breeder who I had Phoenix from has had it happen twice in the last 10 years or so. There are a few mentions of it happening on the Caudata forum as well.

Same as Phoenix growing so big, its a rarity but it happens sometimes.

 

[FishHobby99]

Yes, it happens rarely. I wonder what the source of iodine was for the axies who left the water. A Scientific American article mentioned cannibalism. Wonder if they nibbled off the limbs of other axies, which should have regenerated.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Axies have long been labrats...mostly for studies into why they don't always progress from larval form (as Axies) to full Salamander form and the regeneration abilities too....they are truly fascinating animals. There is one other close relative of Axies...the Olm...that are only found in European caves. They are totally blind.

Olm

Enjoy this expertly researched article on the Olm, including where Olm s live, what they eat & much more. Now with high-quality pictures.

a-z-animals.com

 

[WhistlingBadger]

We have tiger salamanders here, and once in a while I come across a desert pond that is full of larvae. Guess what they look like? Axolotls! I'm pretty sure axolotls are a form of salamander that, through some genetic mutation, never transform into adults.

 

[FishHobby99]

Axies have long been labrats...mostly for studies into why they don't always progress from larval form (as Axies) to full Salamander form and the regeneration abilities too....they are truly fascinating animals. There is one other close relative of Axies...the Olm...that are only found in European caves. They are totally blind.

Olm

Enjoy this expertly researched article on the Olm, including where Olm s live, what they eat & much more. Now with high-quality pictures.

a-z-animals.com

What a fascinating animal, this olm. Thanks for the post. Do you think the chart is off? Can they live that long? How can the weight be so low when the they get as long as a axies? Are they very worm like? Amazing how it says they can go 5 MPH. My axies are so slow & I active.

 

[FishHobby99]

We have tiger salamanders here, and once in a while I come across a desert pond that is full of larvae. Guess what they look like? Axolotls! I'm pretty sure axolotls are a form of salamander that, through some genetic mutation, never transform into adults.

Saw pics of them online. Some beautiful striped and spotted ones. Very similar otherwise to axotles. Believe they have interbred in labs. Think the University of Buffalo, NY, had them breeding together years ago.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Axies are Salamander who do not move from larval stage to adult....an Axie is a fully aquatic animal, must never be out of water.

It is still unknown as to why the Axies and Olms stay as larval forms but instead of progressing to landbased Salamander they just stay as a baby and regenerate when hurt or attacked...they regenerate everything, including their brain, when damaged.

 

[itiwhetu]

Sorry to burst your bubble. But Tom was a frog.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Sorry to burst your bubble. But Tom was a frog.

Might have been a toad

 

[FishHobby99]

Axies are Salamander who do not move from larval stage to adult....an Axie is a fully aquatic animal, must never be out of water.

It is still unknown as to why the Axies and Olms stay as larval forms but instead of progressing to landbased Salamander they just stay as a baby and regenerate when hurt or attacked...they regenerate everything, including their brain, when damaged.

Not unknown according to my sources. An environmental lack of iodine results in thyroid deficiencies. When injected in labs with iodine/thyroid stimulating hormones, they do metamorphosis. Some researchers say staying in water had an evolutionary advantage: more food & fewer predators. The rare out of lab change to the adult form is also due to exposure to iodine, sometimes by cannibalism. Scientific American has a series of articles on them.

 

[Spyro]

What a fascinating animal, this olm. Thanks for the post. Do you think the chart is off? Can they live that long? How can the weight be so low when the they get as long as a axies? Are they very worm like? Amazing how it says they can go 5 MPH. My axies are so slow & I active.

Yes they can live that long. They live 70+ in Zoo easily.
The 5Mph is their top speed but they are fascinatingly lazy animal.
From memory:
They will only move about 5-10 meters in a year.
They can go without food for at least 7 years. We know that because one of them didn't move for over 7 years, at all!
They are more like a eel than worm like.

It's not unusual for them to not move for months.
Sometimes they'll start eating their own skin when they don't have food for long periods.
They are fully aquatic but also have perfectly functional lungs they never use.