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The Axolotl
The axolotl is a small salamander that keeps its youthful features for life. Instead of losing its feathery gills and walking on land like other salamanders, it stays underwater and breathes through those gills. Most adults reach about 25 centimetres in length. The animal is native to the canals and former lakes of Xochimilco, on the edge of Mexico City. It is rare in the wild today, although it is well known in science classes and pet shops. Local stories describe the axolotl as patient and calm, and its face often looks as if it is smiling. Because of its unusual life cycle, people sometimes call it the “Peter Pan” of amphibians.
Scientists are especially interested in the axolotl because it can regrow lost body parts. If it loses a leg, it can grow a new one that works perfectly; it can even repair parts of its heart and spinal cord. Researchers look into this ability to learn more about injury and disease. For this reason, many laboratories keep axolotls and set up careful breeding programmes. The species is also important to local culture. In the past, some families caught them for food. Today, visiting students often come to watch biologists at work, and the animals help young people get into science.
However, life in the canals is not easy. Pollution from the city, invasive fish that eat young axolotls, and the loss of wetland plants have all reduced their numbers. Conservation groups now work with farmers to create safe “floating gardens” where clean water can flow and axolotls can hide. These protected areas allow wild populations to carry on. Experts say nobody should give up on the species yet, because it is tough and adaptable when conditions improve. With patient work, the smiling salamander may one day be common again in its Mexican home.
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