An injured axolotl is on the road to recovery after being rescued from a river in Wales. “Dippy” was found under Dipping Bridge on the River Ogmore near Bridgend, south Wales, by a family who had stopped for a break while travelling on holiday last week.

Evie Hill, 10, told the BBC she lifted up a discarded mat in the shallows of the river, and nestled in the rocks was a 9in (22cm) axolotl, an aquatic salamander native to Mexico. It was pale in colour, with speckles, and had injuries to its tail and stomach believed to have been caused by a predator.

Wild axolotls, which resemble a cross between a fish and a lizard, are found only in Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City and are considered critically endangered. The species’ popularity as pets, however, has exploded in recent years owing to their exposure on TikTok, Instagram and Minecraft.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Evie said: “I went down to the bank and there was this thing with gills on its head. I was like: ‘That’s an axolotl.’ I was: ‘Mum, there’s an axolotl in the river.’ She went: ‘There’s not. You’re not going back in the water.’ So I went back in the water anyway, because I’d seen it. And then I caught it and brought it back.”

Dippy’s journey to recovery at its new home in a fish tank is being documented on TikTok, with its adoptive family questioning if it had been abandoned by a pet owner.

Axolotls were one of the inspirations for Toothless the dragon in the 2010 film How to Train Your Dragon. In 2020, Fortnite released Axo, an axolotl skin, and the following year Minecraft introduced axolotls – and a bucket to carry them in.

The real creatures have regenerative power and can regrow tissue. If they lose their tail, they can grow a new spinal cord within a new tail.

According to pet care websites, axolotls are relatively easy to keep as pets with proper research and understanding of their unique needs. Properly cared for, they are hardy and can live for more than 10 years. They require a setup similar to fish but with specific modifications, including a secure lid to prevent escapes as they can climb.

The water temperature should be kept cool, ideally between 16C and 18C, as warmer water causes stress and health risks. It is illegal to release them into the wild.