states due in part to the risk of them escaping captivity and interbreeding with native salamanders.Īxolotls are also a common research subject for biologists, thanks to their capacity to regenerate lost or damaged limbs, hearts, spinal cords, and even parts of their brains-all without permanent scarring. Yet axolotls are illegal to own in some U.S. Yet in most countries, the species cannot be traded across international borders, in part due to the concern that they'll be poached from the wild. Lighter colored axolotls, especially those with white bodies and pink gills, are usually bred as pets. In the wild, they’re mostly grayish brown in color. Europeans across the continent began breeding the salamanders, the beginning of a robust pet trade in the animals, which breed easily in captivity. A popular oddityĪxolotls have long fascinated the public, even more so when they were first brought from Mexico to Paris in 1864. Axolotls suck in their prey, which includes crustaceans, mollusks, insect eggs and small fish. Those sweet little smiles can quickly turn into vacuum cleaners when it’s time to eat. And as if being forever-babies didn’t make them cute enough, their mouths are upturned in a permanent Mona Lisa smile. Though they keep their gills, adult axolotls also have functional lungs and can breathe through their skin.

Their youthful traits include feathery gills sprouting from their heads like a mane, webbed feet, a dorsal fin that runs down the length of their body, and a tail.

Unlike other salamanders that undergo metamorphosis, axolotls (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl) never outgrow their larval, juvenile stage, a phenomenon called neoteny. But these Mexican amphibians are impressive enough on their own, with the ability to regenerate lost limbs and stay “young” throughout their lives. Current Population Trend: Decreasing What is an axolotl?Īs legend has it, the axolotl is the Aztec god of fire and lightning, Xolotl, which disguised himself as a salamander to avoid being sacrificed.

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