Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum · The axolotl is a salamander native to the freshwater lakes of Xochimilco and Chalco in the Valley of Mexico.

Also called Mexican walking fish, Mexican salamander.

Axolotl
Photo: Dgzvs2012, CC BY-SA 3.0
Axolotl
Photo: Ruben Undheim from Trondheim, Norway, CC BY-SA 2.0
Axolotl
Photo: Amrithraj, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAmphibia
OrderUrodela
FamilyAmbystomatidae
GenusAmbystoma
SpeciesAmbystoma mexicanum

Where it lives

Canals of Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco in the high central valley.

Fun facts

  • Axolotls heal without scarring, and they can regrow whole lost limbs and tails over a period of months.
  • Axolotls can accept transplanted eyes and parts of the brain from other individuals, and the new "alien organs" work fully.
  • The axolotl genome is about ten times the size of the human genome, yet it codes for a similar number of proteins.
  • Axolotls find food by smell, then snap at a meal and suck it into their stomachs with vacuum force.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).