Recently, a friend tipped us off to a new animal she wanted, a goofy-faced creature we, too, want IMMEDIATELY. The axolotl is a Mexican mole salamander (also called an ajolote) currently facing extinction in Mexico City, but not if we have anything to say about it.

Apparently kept as domestic pets in the U.S., Great Britain, Australia, and Japan (where they're called "wooper loopers," because DUH!), the axolotl is not only the cutest thing under water, but even provided the inspiration for Wooper, a member of the Pokemon collective or whatever.

More importantly, it SMILES. We want, we want, we want. YAY SCIENCE!

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