What’s an Enigma Axolotl ?
Enigma axolotl is a very rare wild type axolotl with a dark grey coloration, characterized by golden and shiny spots all over the body (green seen from a certain angle) and golden eyes while the belly and the tip of the legs are white.
Can we breed Enigma Axolotls ?
The answer is no ! we can’t breed Enigma Axolotls because we know only one specimen, bred by pure chance at a pet breeder here in the United States and I’m almost sure that he had done everything possible to create others because they would have surely sold them expensive but apparently without success, because we have not seen many other Enigma axolotls after he posted his only photo on his facebook group (the axolotl.net) which is no longer active by the way !
This unique Enigma axolotl is just a random mutation when crossing axolotls of wild type, maybe even with a Gold albino, the breeder gave no explanation on how he got this unique specimen !
What characterizes an Enigma axolotl ?
As I said before, Enigma axolotl is just a wild type axolotl whose eyes are golden, pigmentary cells of the skin (chromatophores) contains a high number of bright Iridophores, a completely random coloration that you can’t reproduce in any laboratory by the way !
It is therefore these chromatophores that decide the coloring of the axolotl’s skin , in this case, it is the Iridophores (crystallized purines) that are responsible for these golden spots, more exactly, of this golden and brilliant iridescence.
There are others kind of chromatophores , we have for example the Melanophores (pigment eumelanin – black brown), but also the Xanthophores (carotenoids and pteridines) which give yellow and red pigments.
It should be noted that seen from a certain angle , Enigma Axolotl will appear green, almost fluorescent with these brilliant golden spots and these golden eyes, a real beautiful specimen to look at, too bad we have not seen others!
Is there another version on how to create an axolotl of type Enigma ?
What I understood is that to provoke your luck, you will just breed and reproduce axolotls of wild type and hope that one day, you will find in your tank a strange baby axolotl, shiny golden and hop !!! it’s an Enigma !! but nothing is sure !!!
I also read that when they are babies, the Enigma Axolotls start to look like Leucistic Axolotls but end up producing iridophores in large quantities, which will then give them this golden shine.
How many Enigma Axolotls are there in the world?
Personally I have only seen three specimens, some photos and a video that I will share with you here.
It could be that there are others but their owners do not want to share their photos or videos on the internet !
Can I buy an Enigma Axolotl ?
To buy an Enigma axolotl you have to find it first and I have searched all over the internet without finding a single ad from a breeder who is looking to sell an Axolotl Enigma !
So the answer is clear, it could be that you find one day an axolotl Enigma for sale, but if it happens, I advise you to buy it quickly because everyone wants one, me too !
Why are Enigma axolotls so rare ?
Enigma axolotls are so rare because breeders don’t know how to create them ! This axolotl was created by pure coincidence and I’m pretty sure that whoever created it did everything to create others but without success.
How much does an Enigma axolotl cost?
You will find everywhere on the net people saying that the Enigma axolotl costs $150 hhh, if you find an axolotl enigma at this price, know that it is a must :! It’s just a bebe tiger salamander !!! in the best case.
I’m pretty sure that some axolotl lovers are willing to spend thousands of dollars to have an Enigma !
Is there an alternative to Enigma axolotl?
If you absolutely want a golden axolotl, I advise you to buy a gold black axolotl with silver eyes (look at the picture), don’t ask me, I have no idea where you can find it! I only know that they were created by mating gold non albino axolotls.
let’s wrap this up
Personally, I wish there were more Enigma axolotls in the world, but if you have searched like me on the web, you will quickly realize that there may be only two or three specimens still alive.
You can neither buy an Enigma axolotl, nor create it by crossing known types of other axolotls, it’s just chance that decides.
