The axolotl itself is one of the story’s central symbols. The narrator notes that the axolotl is “the larval stage (provided with gills) of a species of salamander” (4). He also notes that they are capable of surviving drought by living on land before eventually returning to the water. The axolotl is a liminal creature, trapped between different stages of development and even different habitats. This liminality reflects the narrator’s own mindset when he first approaches the axolotls; he is isolated from human contact and is trying (unsuccessfully) to find connection in the world of animals. The larval nature of the axolotl also speaks to a life characterized by transformation. This foreshadows the mental and physical Transformative Obsession the narrator undergoes through the story.

The axolotl is also often described in terms of its geographic Otherness. Early in the story, the narrator notes that they are Mexican and have “little Aztec faces” (4), and later he likens them to “Chinese figurines of milky glass” (5). These descriptions figure the Axolotl as a geographically displaced Other—a characterization that reflects Cortázar’s own experience of immigration and exile. In this way, the axolotl acts as a symbol of the liminality and Otherness that the narrator longs to understand in order to better understand himself.