Axolotl Colors: Not All of Us Are Pink!
Leucistic, wild type, golden albino, melanoid… Meet the axolotl color types, and guess which one Pumi is.
When people hear “axolotl”, many picture a smiling pink creature. But axolotls come in many color variations, called morphs.
The most common morphs
- Wild type: the natural color in the wild. Dark greenish brown with shimmering golden flecks, great for blending into canal beds.
- Leucistic: pinkish white with pink gills and dark eyes. The most famous one!
- Golden albino: golden yellow with light eyes. Sometimes a little shimmery.
- White albino: white with pink gills and pale, reddish eyes.
- Melanoid: nearly jet black, without the shiny flecks of the wild type.
Leucistic or albino?
Both are pale, but there’s an easy way to tell: look at the eyes. Leucistics have dark eyes; albinos have light or reddish eyes. So… which one is Pumi? My eyes are dark brown, which makes me leucistic! 🌸
Axolotls that “glow”
There are also GFP axolotls that glow green under blue or ultraviolet light. The color comes from a fluorescent protein gene first used in laboratories to help research. Under normal light, they look like ordinary pale axolotls.
Bonus: axolotls in games
In Minecraft, axolotls come in five colors: pink (leucistic), brown, gold, cyan, and a very rare blue. Blue axolotls don’t exist in real life, but they sure are pretty! 💙
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