# Ajolote



## JeffHardy (Jul 25, 2005)

Has anyone got a good picture of an Ajolote and some info on these weird animals.

There was a reference to a pic in a topic on this site about 12 months ago under "unexplained mysteries", but that page no longer exists.


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## Gilleni (Jul 25, 2005)

What on earth is an Ajolote??


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## Spyke (Jul 25, 2005)

Is this what you are after :?: 

BAJA WORM LIZARD

Cheers


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2005)

*re ajolote*

 Heaps here jeff the creeks choc a bloc with ajjys


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## olivehydra (Jul 25, 2005)

Hi Jeff,
The name ajolote is given to both a lizard and members of the mexican ambystomid species. Which do you mean? I own the salamander type and have photos which I can post. I have raised the question on other forums regarding this legal anomaly in regard to it being an exotic fish in its juvenile form (axolotyl) and sold in most pet shops, but once morphed into a salamander does it become an illegal exotic amphibian??. Some pet shops in Sydney sell morphed sallys.


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## OuZo (Jul 25, 2005)

That's an axolotl isn't it oldfella? Are they the same thing? :?


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## Gabe (Jul 25, 2005)

Here's a pic


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## olivehydra (Jul 25, 2005)

pics of my ambystomid ajolote


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## JeffHardy (Jul 25, 2005)

Thanks Spyke. The BAJA WORM LIZARD Bipes biporus was the beasty that I was after.


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## JeffHardy (Jul 25, 2005)

Thanks, Gabe, a better pic still. In fact, that is the photo that I referred toin my original post. Fantastic.


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## OuZo (Jul 25, 2005)

Geez that's creepy!


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2005)

*re Ajolote*

Is the baja worm lizard a reptile or amphibian?


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## olivehydra (Jul 25, 2005)

reptile


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## Spyke (Jul 25, 2005)

JeffHardy said:


> Thanks Spyke. The BAJA WORM LIZARD Bipes biporus was the beasty that I was after.



No problems  glad I could help, they are interesting little critters, I might have to have a read about them now


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## ErisKSC (Jul 25, 2005)

Are they caecillians (sp.?) i read about em somewhere, sorta half way between reptile and amphibian, really archaic, most just look like scaly worms though?


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## ashley_morris22 (Jul 25, 2005)

how many different types do we have n australia.
i have only seen the one type and thats in a pet shop(normal walking fish)

what types r there


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## Retic (Jul 25, 2005)

This is getting confusing, how many types of what do we have in Australia ? We only have the one type of Axolotl if that's what you mean, the highly illegal Mexican walking fish


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## JeffHardy (Jul 25, 2005)

Caecilians are also worm-like creatures that are closely related to amphibians, but don't have arms or legs like the ajolote worm lizard. Anyway, I ain't gonna sit naked on the ground in the habitat where they live. (Not that I actually sit naked on the ground anywhere).

Cheers


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## ashley_morris22 (Jul 25, 2005)

> Axolotl


so only one type


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## Hickson (Jul 25, 2005)

oldfella said:


> Is the baja worm lizard a reptile or amphibian?



It's a reptile. It belongs to a group called the Amphisbaenids, a squamate group closely related to the lizards.



Hix


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## herptrader (Jul 25, 2005)

Dear Jeff,

My curiosity is getting the better of me. Why were you asking?

Has somebody rocked up to the department with one claiming he found it in his back yard?



JeffHardy said:


> Has anyone got a good picture of an Ajolote and some info on these weird animals.
> 
> There was a reference to a pic in a topic on this site about 12 months ago under "unexplained mysteries", but that page no longer exists.



There is heaps of links out there on this cute little critter:

http://www.bluechameleon.org/Photo & Image Stockpile - BCV/WEB - Bipes biporus.htm
http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=585762
http://sn2000.taxonomy.nl/Main/Classification/..\Details\50435.htm
http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/~uetz/families/Bipedidae.html
http://www.herpbreeder.com/worldspecies/Amphisbaenia/bipes.htm
http://www.bluechameleon.org/Reptile & Amphibian Photography.htm
http://www.sbc.su.se/~liberles/TAED3.0/Phylodata/52188.html
http://www.terrarium.com.pl/forum/read.php?f=11&t=14610&a=2
http://www.calusaherp.org/Speakers/bill_images/ws_ftp.log
http://www.sbc.su.se/~liberles/TAED3.0/Phylogeny/52187.html
http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/196.pdf
http://www.omne-vivum.com/c/10049.htm
http://www.visualsunlimited.com/browse/vu303/vu303613.html
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/69/9/2714
http://experiencinglife.net/Biology/Sauropsida/36I.html
http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=209637
http://pbil.univ-lyon1.fr/cgi-bin/acnuc-search-sp?query=BIPES BIPORUS&db=GenBank
http://www.futterhaus-tostedt.de/caresheets/detail_bipes_biporus,1141,7.html
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/kearneylab/pubs.html
http://www.sdnhm.org/research/herpetology/bajarept.html
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=427023
http://www.correodelmaestro.com/anteriores/2004/octubre/nosotros101.htm
http://www.pnas.org/content/vol69/issue9/
http://www.kingsnake.com/forum/whatl/messages/2148.html
http://www.speciesaccounts.org/Squamata.htm
http://www.all-life.com/c/10049.htm
http://www.zoologie.vd.ch/1_Actualite/Fiche_Animal/AcAm01_03.html
http://www.taxonomydata.com/alpha.php?type=species&ltr=B
http://www.calusaherp.org/Speakers/previous_meetings/january_2004.htm
http://www.omne-vivum.com/taxonomy/b.htm
http://www.grahamnewlandhaturalhistorybooks.com/si/3305.html
http://www.biology.wustl.edu/~lososlab/schulte/schultecv/Macetal98MBE.pdf
http://biosgi.wustl.edu/~lososlab/schulte/schultecv/Macetal98MBE.pdf
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/69/9/2714
http://www.naherpetology.org/pdf_files/196.pdf
http://www.genome.jp/dbget-bin/www_bget?refseq+NC_006287
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=432561


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2005)

*re Ajolote*

Heres some imfo Jeff from Retiles and Amphibians atlas, Bipes Latreille.1802. Two legged Worm Lizards. Western Mexico. 3 species.About 20 cm. The onley amphisbaenids with well developed anterior limbs.The feet have 3 to 5 toes,some with claws.Brownish to flesh coloured.Found more frequently at the surface than other amphisbaenids,they are even capable of some climbing.Egg layers There is a few photos that look remarkably worm like with tiny black eyes.


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## Magpie (Jul 25, 2005)

*RE: re Ajolote*

Reptiles magazine, Nov 2003. Baja Dreaming by Carl Franklin.
El Ajolote - Bipes Biporus.
The locals believe they crawl up your whatsit and shred your bowel with those razor sharp claws.


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## JeffHardy (Jul 25, 2005)

*RE: re Ajolote*

Lol Magpie - thats why I wouldn'd sit on the ground in Baja


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## africancichlidau (Jul 25, 2005)

Hope you're not keeping any Jeff, they are an exotic you know


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## JeffHardy (Jul 26, 2005)

Africancichlidau said


> Hope you're not keeping any Jeff, they are an exotic you know
> 
> 
> > Who? Me? 8) I was just looking for a non-poison solution for my local golf club that has a problem with scarab beetles in the greens. :lol:


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## herptrader (Jul 26, 2005)

They would also deter the golfers from sitting on the greens ;-)


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## JeffHardy (Jul 26, 2005)

Herptrader said


> They would also deter the golfers from sitting on the greens
> 
> 
> > Yeah, results could be far worse than just getting a wet posterior from sitting on the grass, if the Mexicans are right.


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## ErisKSC (Jul 26, 2005)

yeh, sorry troopers, hix got it, Amphisbaenids, is what i was trying to remember! My book says, there are 4 families, 18 genera and 152 species.
And that they are believed to be an early offshoot of the order squamata.

They areEndemic to South and Central America (carribean) as well as Africa, extendeing into Saudi peninsular and Spain.

Apparently a third of all known species are only knnown from a single specimen, so actual populations and full extent of habitat is unknown. Though the largest, Amphisbaena alba grows upto 72cm.

And we don't have 'em in Australia


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