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The axolotl, a type of salamander native to Mexico, may be cute and charismatic, but it is also a ruthless carnivore. Despite its adorable appearance, the axolotl feeds on insects, small fish, and even other salamanders. This amphibian’s sharp teeth and powerful jaws allow it to consume prey larger than itself. As a top predator in its ecosystem, the axolotl plays an important role in maintaining balance and diversity. Despite being critically endangered in the wild, axolotls are popular pets and research animals due to their unique ability to regenerate lost body parts.
Endangered Species
The axolotl, which is a threatened species, is commonly known as the “walking fish” even though it is actually an amphibian. Its popularity in the pet trade is understandable, especially when you consider how cute it looks.
In a short story published in 1954, Julio CortГЎzar’s narrator becomes enamored with the axolotls living in the zoo to the point where he ends up turning into one. With their “pink, Aztec faces,” “eyes of gold,” and “rosy little bodies, translucent … ending in a fish’s tail of extraordinary delicacy,” it’s easy to see why one might fall into mythology when thinking of these feather-like, pinkish salamanders.
It’s not just CortГЎzar who was captivated by the axolotl’s unique features. The Aztecs believed that the first axolotl appeared in the lake system around modern-day Mexico City when the powerful underworld god Xolotl transformed himself into a small, feathery amphibian to escape capture. These creatures were also considered a food source by ancient Mesoamerican culture.
Despite their strange appearance, axolotls are actually quite similar to humans – our last common ancestor probably lived on Earth around 360 million years ago. The Jardin zoologique d’acclimatation in Paris was one of the first modern zoos to showcase these creatures, with 34 axolotls being brought from Mexico in 1864. While they were not as popular as other zoo animals, scientists quickly realized that these little creatures were almost mythical in nature.
Aquatic Life
Despite being called the “walking fish,” axolotls are actually a type of salamander that live in fresh water. In the wild, they are usually dark brown or black with speckles, but there are also leucitic or albino variants that are commonly kept as pets. Their cute appearance is due to neoteny, which means they retain many juvenile features throughout their adult life.
One of the features that makes axolotls so cute is their fluffy external gills, which are usually only seen in baby amphibians. They also have small webbed feet and a long tadpole-like tail that is crested with a translucent fin. Unlike other salamander species, axolotls rely on their tails to swim and do not use their legs for land travel.
Despite their cute appearance, axolotls are actually fierce carnivores. They eat a variety of prey, including insects, fish, and even other axolotls.
Scientists believe that axolotls remain in their baby-like state throughout their lives due to their evolution in stable habitats. Unlike other salamander species, axolotls evolved in a habitat with year-round water and few aquatic predators, which eliminated the need to change their bodies to suit changing circumstances. Wild axolotls reach sexual maturity at one year and have a lifespan of about five or six years. During breeding season, males use pheromones to find females, and they perform a courtship dance before depositing a sperm packet on the lake floor. The female lays hundreds of eggs and leaves them to fend for themselves, as baby axolotls receive no parental care. In their home ecosystem, axolotls are top predators and feed on worms, mollusks, insects, and even small fish. The mythology surrounding axolotls centers around their ability to regenerate any part of their body without scarring, making them unique among vertebrates. According to David Gardiner, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, “salamanders are the only ones that can regenerate in this way, and can heal without scars.”
The axolotl, once considered a boring exhibit in the zoo, became one of the longest self-sustaining lab animals in history after Europeans discovered their regeneration abilities. Georges Cuvier, known as the Father of Paleontology, studied axolotls to determine whether they belonged to the Amphibia or Reptilia class. Cuvier believed axolotls were a type of lizard that existed as a perpetual larva because they breathed through gills their entire lives. The 19th-century zoologist Auguste DumГ©ril supplied every European lab with axolotls, leading to horrific studies that tested the limits of their regenerative powers.
Axolotls are now essential to regeneration studies as they can access the developmental program that’s already there and regenerate new limbs, heart tissue, eyes, spinal cord, and parts of the brain. Humans have the same program, but we lose the ability to access it after embryonic development. Scientists aim to apply axolotls’ regeneration abilities to humans one day. Although it’s possible to force axolotls to metamorphose into adult salamanders without gills, they don’t regenerate cells easily after metamorphosis.
Wild axolotls are critically endangered due to introduced predators, environmental toxins, and habitat degradation in their home ecosystem around Mexico City. The lakes in their habitat have become polluted and overrun by introduced tilapia and perch, which view axolotls as a snack. Since 2006, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified the axolotl as a critically endangered species, with less than 1,000 individuals left in the wild.
In Mexico, the government and conservation groups are working to protect the axolotl species by restoring their natural habitats. One method involves creating stationary floating island habitats called chinampas, which were used by the Aztecs for agriculture. However, when the European conquistadors arrived, they destroyed the chinampas and drained the canals and lakes, leading to a decline in the axolotl population. Today, their natural habitat is limited to Lake Xochimilco, where efforts are being made to remove invasive fish and implement chinampas-based agriculture. While the wild population is struggling, captive populations are thriving and are widely distributed across the world. Axolotl research is important in science, and they are also popular pets, though their ownership is not legal everywhere. They require a completely aquatic environment and should not be housed with other pets. The axolotl genome is the second largest of any animal yet sequenced.
FAQ
1. What is an axolotl?
An axolotl is a type of salamander that is native to Mexico. They are often referred to as the “Mexican walking fish” because they have the ability to regenerate their limbs and other body parts.
2. Why are axolotls considered super-cute?
Axolotls are considered super-cute due to their unique appearance. They have a wide, smiling mouth, fluffy gills, and bright, beady eyes. They also come in a variety of colors, including black, white, and shades of pink.
3. Are axolotls good pets?
Axolotls can make good pets for experienced owners who have the right setup and know how to care for them properly. They require a large tank with clean water, a specific temperature range, and a balanced diet. They also have a long lifespan, with some living up to 15 years.
4. What do axolotls eat?
Axolotls are carnivores and primarily eat small aquatic creatures such as worms, insects, and small fish. They use their wide mouths to suck in their prey and swallow it whole. In captivity, they can be fed a diet of frozen or live foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and small feeder fish.
5. Are axolotls endangered?
Axolotls are currently listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their natural habitat, the Xochimilco canals in Mexico, has been greatly impacted by urbanization and pollution. They are also popular in the pet trade, which has led to wild populations being overexploited.
6. Are axolotls dangerous?
While axolotls are not dangerous to humans, they can be ruthless carnivores. They have a strong bite and are known to eat smaller axolotls if they are not provided with enough food. In captivity, they may also try to eat tank mates that are smaller than them, so it’s important to keep them with appropriate tank mates.
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