Axolotl

Why in the news?

• The campaign, called Adoptaxolotl, asks people for as little as 600 pesos (about $35) to virtually adopt one of the tiny “water monsters."

About Axolotl:

• It is an aquatic salamander renowned for its ability to regenerate its spinal cord, heart, and limbs.
• These amphibians also readily make new neurons throughout their lives.
• Axolotls, like humans, contain two copies of every gene—one inherited from the father and the other from the mother.
• It is notable for its permanent retention of larval features, such as external gills.
• The species is found only in Lake Xochimilco, within Mexico City.
• The name axolotl is also applied to any full-grown larva of Ambystoma tigrinum (tiger salamander) that has not yet lost its external gills.
• They feast on a menu of molluscs, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans, and some fish.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Critically endangered.
• Threats: Habitat degradation, pollution, fishing, nonnative predators, the pet trade.