Lake Patzcuaro Salamander

This fully aquatic salamander is native to Mexico's Lake Pátzcuaro. Adults retain large, feathery gills, a broad flattened head and a finned tail; the back is tan-brown to greenish rather than an albino axolotl's white. Females lay eggs underwater. Zoos and Mexican conservation breeders maintain it in cool, carefully filtered water with smooth refuges and animal-based foods. It is in CITES Appendix II, and US injurious-salamander restrictions apply. It is distinct from the axolotl.