Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum · Animal
The axolotl is a salamander that keeps its larval features, including feathery external gills, for its whole life. In the wild it survives only in the canals of Xochimilco in Mexico City.
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Ambystoma mexicanum
- Kind
- Animal
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN CR)
- Habitat
- Freshwater canals and lakes
- Range
- Xochimilco canals, Mexico City
- Size
- Up to about 30 cm
- Lifespan
- 10–15 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Activity
- Aquatic · mostly nocturnal
- Population
- Critically low in the wild
Diet
Eats worms, insect larvae, crustaceans and small fish, sucking them in with a quick gulp.
Behavior
Axolotls can regrow lost limbs, parts of the heart and even parts of the brain, which makes them important to medical research.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Urodela
- Family
- Ambystomatidae
- Genus
- Ambystoma
- Species
- A. mexicanum
Conservation
Critically Endangered: urban growth, polluted water and introduced fish have almost wiped out the wild population.
Main threats
- Water pollution
- Urbanization
- Introduced fish (carp, tilapia)