16 Axolotl Color Variations with Pictures + Genetics Explained! - Care Guides For Pet Lizards (2024)

Axolotls are interesting animals and beautiful pets. Similar to many other reptile and exotic pets that are kept in captivity, it means that selective breeding has resulted in many other axolotl color variations other than the ‘wild type’. In this post, you will find axolotl color variations with pictures and morph types, learn more about genetics, and what wild type axolotl looks like.

Please note, that there are no other sub-species of axolotl. Axolotl color variations are achieved by selective breeding (crossing axolotls of different colors).

The main axolotl color variations and morphs that exist

1. Wild type
2. Gold
3. Albino
4. Leucistic (Lucy)
5. Speckled Leucistic, Dirty Lucy, or Harlequin Leucistic
6. Black (melanoid)
7. Piebald
8. Copper or Olive
9. Green Fluorescent Protein, or GFP
10. Chimera
11. Mosaic
12. Silver Dalmatian, or lavender
13. High Iridophore
14. Red Fluorescent Protein, RFP
15. Firefly
16. Enigma

#1: Wild type

Axolotls found in the wild are various shades of brown and often green, not white or light in color. Wild type coloration ranges from green, dark brown to dark tan. They can also be greenish and gray in color. Their bellies tend to be lighter in color – often gray.

What is more, they often have speckles on different parts of their body. Most young wild axolotls are dark, and can become lighter as they mature. In most adults, toes can also become pale in color with maturity.

Wild type axolotl color presents in shiny patches on the skin, which makes them glow and possibly help provide camouflage. Their eyes are blue or dark in color, with a yellow or golden ring around them.

Wild type axolotl gills are also dark in color. An interesting fact about wild type axolotls is that they dark coloration is best suited for them to survive in the wild.

That’s because they have more ability to camouflage, while light colored ones – are more visible to predators. Also, wild type axolotls generally grow faster and better, and usually have a better appetite.

#2: Golden (Golden Albino)

Gold colored axolotls are truly gorgeous and have a golden tint on their skin. Their coloration ranges from whitish, peachy, pale gold to more distinct yellow. Gold morph axolotls do not have any speckles or dots on their skin, but this can sometimes vary. Golden axolotls are a variation of albinos.

A gold axolotl will have pink/colorless eyes and shining patches of skin on the body, resembling colors of gold (in their eyes too). Gills are peach in color. Another interesting fact is that in fully mature golden axolotls, their toes become black. Their soles might also become muddy in color.

Genetics: Recessive trait – variation of albinism. They only have xanthophores (and sometimes iridophores), hence yellow coloration. Eyes and skin do not have dark pigmentation/color.

#3: Albino

Albino axolotls do not have any color, because they are lacking melanin that gives skin its color. Due to that, albino axolotls are very light pink in color (due to blood vessels showing through the very light skin), and their eyes are also pink. Some albino axolotls are cream to pale yellow in color.

If an albino axolotl is stressed or agitated, its skin might become more pink due to increased blood flow/pressure. What is more, due to lack of the pigment, an albino axolotl will not develop any spots on the body. However, their gills are rich pink in color, giving a beautiful color contrast.

Similar to golden morph axolotls, albino axolotls develop dark coloration on their toes when reaching sexual maturity. Unfortunately, albino axolotls might have worse eyesight than other types, making it harder for them to ‘hunt’.

Genetics: Albinism is a recessive trait, which is inherited if both parents have the gene (lack of pigment producing cells).

#4: Leucistic, or Lucy

Leucistic axolotls are possibly one of the most popular color morphs to keep in captivity. They are light pink in color, and similar to albinos, get more pink coloration when there’s blood flow/pressure to their skin.

Their gills are bright pink in color, also creating a beautiful color contrast similar to albinos.

Genetics: Recessive trait – both parents carry this gene, which provides dark and yellow coloration (melanophores and xanthophores) to their eyes only, but can also be around the head and body, especially with age.

#5: Speckled Leucistic, Dirty Lucy, or Harlequin Leucistic

Leucistic axolotls might develop some speckles, and their eyes are dark in color. Some leucistic axolotls develop dark brown or black speckles as they get older. Interestingly, most of those speckles will be around their face.

Genetics: Same as leucistic, but develop more dark coloration, due to pigment containing cells in melanophores.

#6: Melanoid (Black)

Black, or melanoid axolotls are black in color, ranging from medium black to smokey/jet black. Melanoid axolotls don’t have any shiny patches on their skin, and have dark eyes as well. Black axolotls are generally lighter feeders that wild type axolotls.

Especially dark coloration results from a recessive trait. Melanoid axolotls are much darker in color than greenish/dark brown wild type axolotls, and are matte in color (no shiny specs). Their gills are also black in color. Most melanoid axolotls will develop pale toes and underside once reaching maturity.

Genetics: Melanoid axolotls lack iridophores, pigment cells that can reflect light. This is a recessive trait as well (both parents need to carry the gene).

#7: Piebald

Piebald axolotl morph is similar to leucistic, but with the presence of dark speckling around the head and body. However, some leucistic axolotls can also develop dark spotting around their body. But in piebald morph, spots are often darker and thicker than in leucistic ones.

These axolotls contain pigment unlike albinos/golden axolotls, and some will develop cute speckling on their body.

#8: Copper or Olive

Copper axolotl is a beautiful morph that is mainly kept as a pet in Australia, as a non-native salamander species. However, you might be able to find copper axolotls for sale in the USA, UK, some other countries in Europe and more.

Copper axolotls are pale copper to caramel in color. Their body is also covered in many small dark caramel colored speckles, giving them a very cute look. They have dark eyes and beautiful copper colored gills.

There are different variations of copper axolotl morphs, including:

• General copper
• Albino copper
• Bronzed copper
• Melanoid copper (clear pupils, lack of patterns across the body)
• Axanthic copper (lacking yellow and/or red coloration)
• MAC – Melanoid Axanthic Copper (deep pink in coloration, with purple and brownish gills)

Genetics: Recessive trait, which has to be present in both parents to be inherited. Melanin is not being oxidized, leading to skin spots that are brighter in color than in a wild type axolotl.

#9: Green Fluorescent Protein, GFP

Green fluorescent protein has been introduced to axolotl genetics for medical research, and has since passed from their parents to offspring. It it a recessive trait, meaning that it will pass only if present in both parents.

GFP axolotls can be of any morph, but it will also have this protein present in their genotype. This protein will emit green fluorescence under UVB or blue light. Less melanin an axolotl with GFP has in its skin (light skin, such as golden or albino axolotls), more florescence it will show.

GFP axolotls have modified genetics, so they are considered genetically modified organisms in many countries. Please research before getting as it might not be legal where you live.

Genetics: genetically modified initially, recessive trait.

#10: Chimera and Mosaic

Chimera and mosaic morphs of axolotls are rare, and is due to a genetic phenomenon called chimerism. Chimerism is when an organism contains genes from more than one fertilized egg/zygote, which leads to variations in general phenotype (appearance) in an embryo and then a developed organism.

In axolotls that develop chimerism, eggs have joined together, leading to a mix in genetic material. So, a chimera axolotl will have various traits in its appearance because it has inherited multiple gene variations.

In Chimera and Mosaic ‘morphs’, you will notice various colorations. Colors can be split in the middle, or just feature a speckled appearance around the body. And colors can also differ, depending on their parents’ coloration.

Genetics: Genetic mutation resulting in a mixed phenotype. Cannot be reproduced, is a genetic condition. Mosaic axolotls also result from cell division errors, where genotype (genes) do not express properly (phenotype is different from one that should have been inherited).

#11: Mosaic

Mosaic axolotl morphs have a combination of black and white colors on their body. There are split mosaics and marbled mosaic axolotls.

#12: Silver Dalmatian, or Lavender

Dalmatian, or Lavender axolotls are actually lavender in color and have many small dark specs across their body.

#13: High Iridophore

High iridophore axolotls produce a high amount of iridophores (pigment cells), which gives a shiny appearance and beautiful iridescent colors when illuminated.

These axolotls tend to get shinier and more yellowish with age, and their eyes are also shiny and yellowish, due to these pigments. High iridophore gold axolotls tend to be bright yellow in color and very shiny.

#14: Red Fluorescent Protein, RFP

Similar to a GFP axolotls, RFP axolotls also have had an external protein introduced into their genome for medical studies (regeneration, immunity etc.). GFP and RFP can be present together, but this quite uncommon.

RFP axolotls have a Blue NFP gene (Nitro Fluorescing Protein) in their genome, which gives a bioluminescent property. It glows under cyan light.

Please note, that because these axolotls have their genetics modified, they might be illegal to own as pets in your country. Please research it before getting one.

#15: Firefly

Firefly axolotls have been created using embryonic graphing, resulting in an axolotl with a light colored body and a dark tail, or dark body and a light tail.

This is achieved when a breeder removes a cell sample from a tail from two axolotls and swaps between two of them. Due to regeneration properties, firefly axolotls tend to heal well and develop properly.

Some people find this procedure unethical, even if the procedure is performed when axolotls are at their embryonic stage (or using anesthetics). Firefly axolotls retain their new coloration throughout their lifetime.

#16: Enigma

Enigma axolotls are truly beautiful, but their genetics have not been properly studied yet. Their bodies are fully covered in iridophores, pigment cells that give them this shiny iridescent appearance.

Axolotl genetics table

To inherit a specific trait (albinism, melanoid coloration etc.), an axolotl has to have a specific set of alleles that are passed from both parents (one each).

There is a dominant and recessive inherited trait, and if both dominant (A) alleles for a specific trait are passed, an axolotl will develop that trait too. A dominant trait will override a recessive one (Aa). So, one dominant allele is enough to develop a trait.

To be able to inherit a recessive trait, both parents have to pass a recessive allele for that gene. Both alleles with a dominant or recessive genes (two of same) is called hom*ozygous (AA or aa), while two different – heterozygous (Aa).

There are many other genetic variations than shown in the table below, but it covers the most common genetic variations that result in axolotl color variations. As you have noted from the table, a single axolotl can inherit few genetic variations from its parents. This will result in two to few different traits in appearance (phenotype).

Iridophores = produce reflective pigments. Xanthophores = produce yellow or orange pigment. Melanophores = produce black pigment.