The Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is an aquatic salamander native to Mexico. In the Spanish language it is called the ajolote. The name is from the Aztec Nahuatl language, from "atl" meaning water, and "xolotl" meaning dog. It also derives its name from the Aztec God of Death Xolotl, who ¡ª according to myth ¡ª assumed the amphibian's form in an effort to escape exile, and was killed while in this form. It is noted for its appearance and its demonstration of neoteny, remaining in its aquatic larval form even as a sexually mature adult, and not undergoing metamorphosis into a terrestrial form.