If there is a creature that, due to its characteristics, has bewitched the eyes of the world, that is the axolotl. The mythical Mexican amphibian is the only animal capable of regenerating itself, as if it were a superpower. With their subtle appearance and their colors ranging from jet black to vibrant pink, these animals seem to have come out of a gentle world with their apparent smile and facial features that enchant anyone’s gaze. Unfortunately, this Mexican salamander is in danger of extinction and knowing about them is important to revalue their presence in the lakes of Mexico City. Here is a list of curious facts about the axolotl to surprise us even more about these beautiful creatures.
fun facts about the axolotl
Endemic to Mexico
the mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) It is endemic to the basins of Mexico and there are a total of 18 different variants of this beautiful creature that are distributed throughout the country. Unfortunately, many of them are in danger of extinction, or there is not enough data to establish an analysis on some of them.
They live in large bodies of water, in the Valley of Mexico their natural habitat is the lake of Xochimilco. Although the unfortunate decision to introduce external predators such as trout that do not belong to the lake, has caused the near extinction of the axolotl, which has now been left without a natural habitat and only lives in captivity.
a mythical origin
The name ‘axolote’ comes from the Nahuatl ‘Axolotl’ which means ‘water monster’. The axolotl is now an almost mythical creature due to its scarcity and almost disappearance from its natural habitat, however in pre-Hispanic times it was well known among the inhabitants of Tenochtitlán who related it to the god Xólotl, twin brother of Quetzalcóatl, who refused to sacrifice .
Legend has it that Xólotl fled from the sacrifice and hid in the cornfields, turning into a corn plant with two reeds. When he was discovered by other gods, he fled to a maguey grove where he took the form of a double stalk. But in the last escape from him, he entered the water and finally turned into an axolotl.
a strange superpower
Axolotls are amazing creatures, it is the only animal on the entire planet capable of regenerating limbs such as legs and tail. They do it without even leaving traces of scars or traces of damage. Bones, organs, skin, brain and can even heal your heart. But not only that, their ability to regenerate has been studied by scientists, since axolotls even manage to regenerate their spinal cord and continue to live as if no damage had occurred.
Forever Young
Not that they are per se immortal, but axolotls, unlike other amphibians, retain their larval form. For this reason, they display their striking gills that make them so special, in addition to the fins. This phenomenon is called neoteny and is very rare in amphibians, only the axolotl has this ability.
In other words, they stay in their baby stage until they die, except in some cases where the animal is subjected to great stress, then it will reach its amphibious form and lose its gills.
Life expectancy
Axolotls are long-lived, their average life span ranges from 15 to 12 years, depending on living conditions. They eat a diet of mollusks, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans, and some small fish. They also get the oxygen they need to live from the water, although they do come to the surface to breathe, they can live without doing so thanks to the huge gills that surround their necks.
Axolotls are undoubtedly amazing almost mythical creatures for their amazing qualities. Learning from them is of the utmost importance to revalue their presence, only in this way will we be able to save the species that is in danger of extinction and that for now can only live in captivity due to the deterioration of its natural habitat.
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