# A lot of people requested that I post this here - This is my morphed axolotl, Gollum. He started out life as a normal axolotl and then absorbed his gills and fins and became a terrestrial salamander. : Awwducational <cite>by u/CollieflowersBark</cite> ## Metadata - Author: u/CollieflowersBark - Full Title: A lot of people requested that I post this here - This is my morphed axolotl, Gollum. He started out life as a normal axolotl and then absorbed his gills and fins and became a terrestrial salamander. : Awwducational - Link: https://reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/qunh5l/a_lot_of_people_requested_that_i_post_this_here ## Highlights ### > This is my morphed axolotl, Gollum. He started out life as a normal axolotl and then absorbed his gills and fins and became a terrestrial salamander. > The salamander shown here is a morphed axolotl. His name is Gollum! Axolotls are paedomorphic salamanders, which means that they retain all of their juvenile, tadpole characteristics for life. They are never supposed to lose their gills and fins and leave water like other amphibians, which transition from tadpole to terrestrial. > For some reason, ours got the signal from their thyroid to change into terrestrial salamanders. They absorbed their gills and fins and started using lungs to breathe. They even grew eyelids and a tongue. This is extremely, very very rare. > I have two! Gollum (shown above) is 4. He has been with us since he was a 7 month old aquatic axolotl. He morphed when he was 10 months old. > Our new kid is 7 months old. She morphed a month ago and her owner surrendered her to us because she could not give her the care that she needed. > Morphed axolotls are difficult to care for because there are virtually no guides on the matter. All information found is contradictory and sometimes even harmful. Most metamorphs die due to improper care and misinformation. I am aiming to change that one day at a time by sharing what I learn about these amazing, rare creatures. > Everything is documented at salamanderwithasign on IG. I am also compiling everything I learn in order to make a small eBook on proper care for future owners! > [Here](https://linktr.ee/Salamanderwithasign) is a link to all of the research papers I have been learning from. I have been trying to save them and share them with others. > While axolotls CAN be forced to undergo metamorphosis through chemical baths or injection, neither of ours had that. We believe that whatever caused them to morph was either introduced accidentally before we got them, or it was genetic. Most likely genetic. > Axolotls have a VERY tiny smidge of tiger salamander genes implanted into them from their time in a lab (DECADES ago) and then the hybrids were crossbred back to regular axolotls until they were nearly pure again. This was done in a successful attempt to give axolotls the albino gene. We think that this is why some axolotls morph today! > A lot of people ask me if I will breed my metamorphs. The answer is...no. They don't breed once they morph. It has only been recorded once, and the scientists that did it noted that it was extremely difficult. Plus the offspring were no different than normal axolotls, aside from a thinner jelly coating over their eggs. > [This](https://imgur.com/gallery/zXokkk6) > is Gollum's morphing process in photos. As you can see, he looked like a normal axolotl, then he began to change shape. > Some people have asked if he is actually a tiger salamander. He is not. At first glance, he looks like one, but if you compare him to a tiger, he is all "wrong." His head and body shape are different, his toes are MUCH longer and skinnier, and his coloring doesn't match up at all. > His behavior is also pretty different. He is slower, doesn't bury himself like a tiger, and he still enjoys water from time to time. (Don't mist him though. He HATES misting.) > And as always, if you have questions, feel free to ask. I love teaching people what I know about metamorphs! - [View Highlight](https://reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/qunh5l/a_lot_of_people_requested_that_i_post_this_here?__readwiseLocation=0%2F1%2F0%2F4%2F4%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F4%2F1%2F0%2F2%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A0%2C0%2F14%2F0%2F4%2F4%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F4%2F1%2F0%2F2%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A108#:~:text=The%20salamander%20shown%20here%20is%2Cwhat%20I%20know%20about%20metamorphs!) ### > The reason that axolotls are rare in the wild is because they have no natural habitat left. The lakes that they lived in have been drained, and only one lake is left now. That lake is extremely polluted and full of invasive species that eat the axolotls. > Axolotls are VERY important to scientific research. They are used in cancer studies, skin graft research, stem cell research, and more, because they can regenerate any part of their body. Even pieces of their brain and spinal cord! > They were crossed with tiger salamanders to get the albino gene so that they would not have pigmentation. This helped scientists to see their bones better. (because they also gave them a gene that made their bones glow green under black light) As well as to study how color mutations work, because axolotls have a HUGE array of different colors. Green, blue, white, black, grey...there's a lot! So all in all, axolotls are a very fascinating contribution to science. > A lot of the axolotls that we have as pets are descended from axolotls that were raised and modified in labs. My two aquatic axolotls are! They both still carry the glowing protein in their bones. > Does that answer anything? - [View Highlight](https://reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/qunh5l/a_lot_of_people_requested_that_i_post_this_here?__readwiseLocation=0%2F0%2F0%2F4%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F14%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F4%2F1%2F0%2F2%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A0%2C0%2F4%2F0%2F4%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F14%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F4%2F1%2F0%2F2%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A26#:~:text=The%20reason%20that%20axolotls%20are%2Ctheir%20bones.Does%20that%20answer%20anything%3F)