Maxine the axolotl now has a friend with a name.
Axolotls are also known as Mexican walking fish and can breathe in or outside of water.
Maxine is a white female and lives in a tank at the Gore Aquatic Centre.
Three years ago a Mataura School teacher gave Maxine to Gore Aquatics Services manager Martin Mackereth.
Recently she was joined by a black axolotl and aquatic centre staff held a competition to name the new amphibian.
The winner of the competition was Cooper Bonisch (6), who suggested Toothless would be a good name.
While Cooper was not the only one to suggest Toothless, Cooper won the competition as it was his name pulled out of the draw of people who had suggested the name.
He had watched a movie about a dragon called Toothless, Connor said.
‘‘[The axolotl] looks a wee bit like Toothless.’’
It was a good place for the axolotls to live as many people stopped by to look at them, Mr Mackereth said.
They were interesting animals.
‘‘They can grow any part of their limb back which is pretty amazing. They have their gills up top but you can take them out of the water and the gills close down and they can breathe on land as well by gulping.’’
There was a display of aquatic animals at the centre including a turtle, newts and fish.
‘‘They were put in as a distraction so children could be entertained so we could talk to parents. It’s now more the parents that now spend most of the time looking at them[and] talking to them.’’
The competition to name the axolotl was popular with about 90 entries received, he said.
- By Sandy Eggleston
