The only aquatic creature cuter than a sea turtle is an axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). These adorable amphibians have feathery gills and a flattened head — they are just so squishy and cute! Axolotls come in many colors and have the sweetest smile, too.
Although axolotls are common in zoos and pop culture, they are rarely found in the wild. Axolotls are considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with researchers estimating that only 50 to 1,000 remain in the wild. They are found in just one high-altitude lake in Mexico called Lake Xochimilco. Find out more about these rare and beautiful mole salamanders below.
1. They are commonly called “Mexican walking fish.”
Axolotls have permanent smiles on their faces that make them so adorable.
©axolotlowner/Shutterstock.com
Although axolotls are technically amphibians and not fish, they prefer to spend their entire lives underwater. Their name, “axolotl,” means “water monster” and is derived from the Aztec deity Xolotl, the god of fire and lightning.
2. Axolotls can regenerate their body parts, even their organs.
An axolotl, like this one at Fort Worth Zoo, can regenerate almost all of its body parts and organs.
©Fort Worth Zoo
Imagine losing an arm and just growing another one! Axolotls can regrow their limbs, tails, brains, parts of their hearts, skin, teeth, lung tissue, and more. Despite this cool trait, axolotls don’t grow extra body parts they don’t need, which is why they have four toes on their front feet and five toes on their back feet.
3. As neotenic amphibians, axolotls retain features they had as larvae.
Axolotls reach sexual maturity without losing some of the traits they had as larvae. This gives them another fascinating feature: “They are one of the only animals to have both lungs and gills at the same time,” says Jessi Gorman, Fort Worth Zoo’s Outreach Education Specialist.
4. Females can lay up to 1,000 eggs at a single time.
Axolotls must fend for themselves soon after birth.
©Orizatriz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons – Original / License
Axolotls will breed in late winter or early spring. A male will deposit sperm capsules and then provide a mix of visual and chemical signals to help the female locate and take up the capsules. From there, she will lay 100 to 1,000 eggs individually, which will hatch after a 2-week incubation period. Once the larvae hatch, they must quickly learn to find food and survive on their own.
5. They love sitting!
Axolotls spend most of their time in the water, but they also like to sit.
©CheyennevB/Shutterstock.com
Gorman says that this entertaining animal likes to sit on things. “So even though they swim, they still like to sit on top of hides or hammocks or thick plants,” Gormon explains. It’s like the axolotl is saying, “If I fits, I sits!”
6. Axolotls have become increasingly popular in recent years.
James Monaghan, professor of biology at Northeastern, said that he used to have to explain what axolotls were approximately 20 years ago. But now, most people know all about them. You can even buy axolotl plushies! “Axolotls have just exploded in [popularity] the past couple of years,” he told Northeastern Global News.
“Now I just can say, ‘Oh, I work on axolotls,’ and everyone just lights up,” he continued, adding that axolotls are important in youth culture because they are “incredibly cute” with feathery gills and “a constant little smile on their face.”
“If you were to create a cute animal that you couldn’t think existed naturally, it’s kind of the axolotl,” he added. “It’s got the vibes of a dragon, but a nice dragon.”
7. Their teeth aren’t for chewing.
Axolotls don’t need to chew their food before eating it.
©iStock.com/izanbar
Unlike humans (and many other animals), axolotls’ teeth don’t break down food. “Their teeth are very small and soft, not used for chewing or tearing, just to help them grip food,” Gorman explains. They consume prey such as worms, insects, tadpoles, and brine shrimp by sucking them up. “If they lose a tooth, they can regenerate it just like all their other body parts (no need for dental care!),” Gorman adds.
8. Axolotls aren’t always pink.
Axolotls in the wild are typically not pink.
©iStock.com/izanbar
These amphibians come in a variety of colors, but most are actually a brownish grey. “Most axolotls in pop culture are pink, but wild axolotls are actually a darker mottled brown/grey color,” Gormon explains. She says pink axolotls are typically only found in domesticated populations, as they’ve been bred for a variety of colors.
9. Owning a pet axolotl is illegal in some U.S. States.
If you live in California, Maine, New Jersey, or D.C., it is illegal to have an axolotl as a pet. Additionally, permits are required to own an axolotl in New Mexico and Hawaii. There are many reasons for this, including the risk of axolotls escaping captivity and posing an environmental threat, outcompeting struggling native salamander species, and other concerns.
10. Axolotls will eat their spawn and siblings.
Baby axolotls must learn to survive fast after hatching.
©Fort Worth Zoo
Yes, you read that right. Axolotls won’t hesitate to eat their own, including mothers eating their newly hatched larvae and larvae eating the limbs off their siblings. In the latter case, the axolotl’s arm will grow back, so there is no lasting harm.
“It’s pretty gruesome, but cannibalism is a possible reason why they grow their arms back,” James Monaghan, associate biology professor at Northeastern, told Northeastern Global News. He explained, “When an injury occurs, some cues are released in that animal that tell cells near the injury to go from a resting state into a regenerative state.”
If only science could help us harness those same cues for humans!
The post The Amazing World of Axolotls and Why They Are Endangered appeared first on A-Z Animals.
