Eating the Salamander

 This is an axolotl.

This bizarre creature once thrived in the shallow lakes which used to cover much of the Valley of Mexico, the valley where Mexico City today is located.  As Mexico City grew and the lakes were drained, its habitat was reduced to the canals of Xochimilco in the southern part of the city.  There are only a handful remaining in the wild.

The axolotl is sometimes referred to as the Mexican Walking Fish.  However it is not a fish, but rather a type of salamander, an amphibian.  However, unlike other amphibians, it never metamorphizes into a land animal.  It remains aquatic and breathes through the filament lined, external gills behind its head.  Axolotls are raised as laboratory animals for scientific study because they have the amazing ability to regenerate damaged limbs and organs.

What makes me bring up the axolotl?  A while ago Alejandro was at a bakery and bought this whimsical loaf of bread that was baked in the shape of an axolotl.

It seems a shame to eat it!