Five days later Daniella told PlymouthLive she got a message back from her saying: "These aren't frogs." She and her mum then brought in some of the 'frogspawn' and the eggs began to grow "little gills". Two pet shops confirmed the eggs were actually axolotl eggs - a critically endangered amphibian native to Mexico. The neotenic salamander's scientific name is ambystoma mexicanum and is related to the tiger salamander.