Axolotl

Here's an assignment--look at the picture carefully. What you're looking at is not an extra-terrestrial creature that was found in the trenches of Tim Burton's mind. In fact, it's a living, breathing earthly creature called an Axolotl which is just so darned adorable that it has become a favorite amongst those with aquariums.

However, this particular species is so deeply endangered--the last census said there are only 100 - 1000 left in the wild--that it's literally on the brink of extinction. By contrast though, the domesticated axolotl population is growing larger thanks to the undying interest of both hobbyists and scientists alike! And we'd be lying if we said we didn't wish we had one of the sweet, smiling salamander-like amphibians in our own fish tanks!

-Picture courtesy Thinkstock-