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Question: Axolotl vs mudpuppy?

Elliriyanna

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Whats the difference between an axolotl and a mudpuppy? they look identical to me except one is a native local species and one is from new mexico and places around there
 

esn

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Let's play spot the differences!
15695d1304283053-sick-stressed-axolotl-09.04.11-002.jpg


salamander_1.jpg



They're different species from completely different families, for one. And that implies all kinds of differences. Length, head shape, bone structure, life span, color, pattern, etc. So many things. Saying that they're the same is like looking at a tiger and saying it's the same as a lion. They're similar in that they vaguely resemble each other, but are very different animals.
 

Elliriyanna

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google images lied ... it showed me a natural colored axie ... but i would not say they are as different looking as lions and tigers ( i am big cat obsessed)
 

Elliriyanna

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ok i get that they are different but for my sanity PLEASE stop comparing them to big cats , house cats etc

how does the care differ? i am in the native range of mudpuppies so they may be much easier for me to acquire ( from a breeder not wild caught)
 

Kaysie

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Herein lies the issue with common names. Most people think mudpuppies (Necturus spp.), waterdogs (larval tiger salamanders), and axolotls are all the same.

I don't think anyone has successfully bred mudpuppies; definitely not enough that they're commercially available.

Care-wise: mudpuppies require super-clean, super-cold flowing water. They've often been caught by people ice-fishing. They get larger than axolotls (14 inches or so), and are much more aggressive.

To not use big cats, this is the difference between a stegosaurus and a T. rex, or between a guppy and a pike.
 

Elliriyanna

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my friend just told me they have axolotl's at a petstore near her :D

well to the inexperienced eye you can see how they would look similar
 

Elliriyanna

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Except big cats look NOTHING alike even to an amateur ...

It was an honest mistake and you guys are being quite mean ...
 

esn

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Except big cats look NOTHING alike even to an amateur ...

It was an honest mistake and you guys are being quite mean ...

I was simply being humorous. I'm sorry, humor does not pass through the Internet well.

As for cats, I was not comparing them because I believe that. I was simply comparing the examples - that saying the big cats are the same is like saying all salamanders are the same, though I have just generalized it more now. I used that example because large cats have similar shapes, and we can instantly define them as feline. Salamanders have similar shapes, that are instantly defined into slimy-lizard-things. But when we know a group of animals well, we see the clear differences.

Take a child. A child that is an amateur of all things in the world (except possibly at crying), would simply identify a fluffy as a cat, a lion as a cat, a tiger as a cat, and their stuffed animal as a cat. They would do the same with salamanders. They have no knowledge of biology and taxonomy. It is an easy mistake to make, especially since as people grow they only learn selectively. That is, cats are encountered more often than salamanders, so that difference is learned, though the difference between salamanders and lizards never is if they aren't encountered. The opposite could also happen. A child could encounter only salamanders, and become an adult that does not recognize the difference between cats. I myself cannot tell one bug from another- a beetle is a beetle, though there are hundreds of beetle species.

You asked a question, and it was answered. No one had any intention to offend, and I certainly didn't. I'm sorry my example was misunderstood. I meant it to be slightly light-hearted, and it didn't come off that way, apparently.
 

Elliriyanna

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I have been sensitive lately as well so it doesn't help
.. I know there is a major difference between most species but at first glance they truly look the same lol

My friend use to catch mudpuppies and she was like get an axolotls they are the same but less slimy ( I am the animal enthusiast among my friends) then she told me they sell axolotls locally ... so once I have the money she will take me to get one :) but unfortunately its going to be longer than I want :( it will give me more time to perfect my.tank though :)
 

Elliriyanna

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Thank you ... To the inexperienced eye and without them side by side they look very much alike.
 

Jhaddock

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The reason it not NEARLY the same as saying a lion and a tiger look the same is because lions and tigers are famous. World KNOWN. Saying an axolotl and a mudpuppy look the same can be compared to someone thinking a bunny and a chinchilla look alike and one just has a different length ear, by just looking, little does the average person know, rabbits arent even rodents anymore and chinchillas fur cant come in contact with a water bath because they will mold because their fur is too thick for water to escape but looking at such a tiny group of amphibians that arent well known even like frogs people see a wet lizard with a frilly neck and think "well that must be an albino version" unfortunately in a picture, you cant really see much in terms of exact measurement or even know what stage of life each picture of each creature is IN to know if your measurments will even hold up or if one was just smaller! There are tons of animals out there WHOM have cousins that look similar. I I mean, WE are related to APES. excuse me but I dont have fist feet and a leathery face and full body hair.
 

Jhaddock

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Thank you ... To the inexperienced eye and without them side by side they look very much alike.
They very much do. At first, I thought they were just albino. My uncle had "mud puppies" and I just read an article saying they cant breathe air but my uncles did so I dont even know if people articles are getting stuff confused, its so hard to find reliable facts on such unknown critters
 
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