13 Types of Axolotl Morphs to Wow Aspiring Enthusiasts

The wild type axolotl resembles its natural, lake-dwelling ancestors. With a dark gray to black body, a speckled appearance and dark purple gills, this morph is the most common among wild populations. Pigment cells give it its varied coloration.

Leucistic axolotls have pale pink skin, black eyes and a light pink hue. This leucistic morph — also called a "Lucy" — is one of the most popular due to its soft look and unique coloration. Unlike albinos, they still have some pigment.

This albino morph features a light tan color with yellow pigments and golden flecks. The golden albino axolotl has translucent skin and no melanin, making it an albino animal. Its eyes are red due to the recessive albino gene.

The white albino axolotl has a similar body to the leucistic variety but with the albino gene, resulting in red eyes and even paler pink hues. It lacks the golden tint of golden albinos.

Melanoid axolotls are completely dark, with no shiny gold ring or iridescence. These black melanoid axolotls have a uniform appearance thanks to the absence of iridophores (the cells responsible for reflective colors). Some heavily marked melanoid axolotls display exceptionally dark pigmentation.

This rare morph is known for its muted brown coloration. The copper axolotl features a unique appearance with light colored skin and subtle coppery tones, often described as pinkish or tan.

Lavender axolotls exhibit a soft purplish-gray hue. With their dark eyes and delicate coloration, these axolotl colors stand out in any tank. Some adults develop a lighter, silver-grey axolotl tone over time.

Axanthic axolotls lack yellow pigments, giving them a gray or dark appearance. This makes them look like a washed-out wild type, but they have a distinct genetic difference due to a specific genetic mutation.

Short for green fluorescent protein, GFP axolotls have been genetically modified to glow a bright green color under UV light. It's not just their tails but their whole bodies that glow, due to the insertion of the GFP gene. This morph is popular among axolotl enthusiasts and researchers.

Firefly axolotls are a chimera axolotl variant with glowing GFP tails attached to non-GFP bodies or vice versa. The tails glow under blacklight, making them especially unique. This morph was developed through experimental embryonic grafting techniques.

Enigma axolotls are rare and not fully understood. These oddballs among axolotl morphs start out completely black and later develop gray and white coloring with patches of iridescent gold.

Mosaic axolotls have patches of pigment from different morphs due to multiple genetic lines. These axolotls lay white eggs like albinos but may show black and white coloration. Their patterns are unpredictable and visually stunning.

These axolotls have dark patches primarily on the back and head. The piebald axolotl is known for its strong contrast between black and white, giving it a spotted or marbled look.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.