Native to the lakes of Mexico City, the axolotl stays in the water its whole life, swimming with a tail fin and breathing through frilly external gills. It’s nearly extinct in the wild, but survives in research labs the world over, studied for its amazing regenerative abilities. With our help, can these beloved creatures thrive once again in their ancestral home?
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The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is an aquatic salamander that basically never wants to grow up. It grows in size as it matures, but unlike most of its close cousins in the mole salamander family, it does not change into a land-dwelling adult. For its entire life, it lives in the water, retaining its larval characteristics - like external gills and a tailfin, used for swimming.
Now, the few remaining wild axolotls left in the world live in the middle of Mexico City, in the canals that are the remnants of their native Lake Xochimilco. Here, for over 800 years, the animal has represented a bridge between humans and the natural world. The name “axolotl” comes from the Nahuatl Aztec language meaning “water dog.” For the Aztecs, this swimming salamander is one of the spirit animal forms of the Aztec god Xolotl, who is associated with lighting and death, and imbued with powers of physical transformation.
Mexico City was built around, and on top of, a large network of spring-fed lakes over the hundreds of years of its existence. The lakes were drained and filled in over time, as the millions of people made the city their home.
--- How do axolotls breathe?
The signature frills behind the axolotl’s head are its external gills. The fine, branched structure of these exposed gills allows more surface area to be exposed to absorb oxygen from the water. To breathe, an axolotl just needs to flap those external gills! That’s not all - these animals have even more ways they can breathe. Like all other salamanders, axolotls are able to absorb oxygen through their skin. Plus, they have fully functional lungs they can use if there is not enough oxygen in the water. NOTE to axolotl pet owners: Despite having working lungs, the animals will not survive for more than a few hours out of water.
--- Is the axolotl immortal?
No, axolotls are not immortal, but they do possess extraordinary powers of limb and organ regeneration. If these aquatic amphibians lose a leg, tail or even parts of their spinal cord or brain, they can regrow the missing piece. There are other animals that can regenerate organs and limbs, but the axolotl is one of very few vertebrates (animals with backbones - like us) that is able to do this.
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