Axolotl: The adorable amphibian that can regrow its body and stay looking young forever

an axolotl, or mexican salamander, looking at the camera with pink frills around its face — The Mexican salamander (*Ambystoma mexicanum*) retains its larval options, giving it its cute look. (Picture credit score: Paul Starosta/Getty Photos)

Identify: Mexican salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum) often known as an axolotl

The place it lives: Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco, close to Mexico Metropolis

What it eats: a wide range of small invertebrates, together with some small fish

Why it is superior: Regardless of its rarity, the axolotl’s extremely cute seems has made it one of many world’s most well-known amphibians, inspiring characters in Pokemon and Animal Crossing, making an look in Minecraft and even that includes as a Google Doodle.

With a cheerful little face and frilly gills, it’s just like the amphibian model of a pet. This cuteness is brought on by actually not rising up correctly. Most salamanders endure metamorphosis from their completely aquatic larval kind to their largely terrestrial grownup kinds. Nonetheless, the axolotl is without doubt one of the salamander species that doesn’t. As an alternative it retains all of its larval options — exterior gills and a fin alongside its again — and stays fully aquatic, however is ready to reproduce. That is referred to as paedomorphosis or neoteny.

Associated: Meet the weird, grumpy-faced black rain frog that is horrible at leaping and swimming

It could actually additionally regenerate virtually any a part of its physique, together with its limbs, eyes and even elements of its mind, which makes it of nice curiosity to scientists learning regenerative biology.

The axolotl is so beloved it’s the nationwide amphibian of Mexico and appeared on a 50 peso invoice launched in 2021.

Nonetheless, with simply 50 to 1,000 remaining within the wild and a reducing inhabitants, it’s thought-about critically endangered on the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Crimson Listing. Restricted to simply a few lakes in southern Mexico Metropolis, it faces habitat loss as a result of introduction of invasive predators and air pollution.

Elevating the profile of the species goes some approach to serving to preserve the species, however work has additionally been undertaken to enhance the water high quality the place it lives, and inspiring conventional farming that creates habitats for the species.

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