Other Amphibian of the Week

Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)


Common Name: Axolotl, Mexican Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma mexicanum
Family: Ambystomatidae
Location: Mexico
Max Size: around a foot, 12 inches

The Axolotl is a fully aquatic and cute salamander which makes it a common animal in the pet trade. It will also be extinct in the wild soon if nothing happens.

The Axolotl is able to be fully aquatic because it can reach sex maturity with out undergoing metamorphosis. This is called neoteny.

The Axolotl is only found in two series of lakes near Mexico City. These lakes have been mostly destroyed because of draining of the lakes, pollution, and introduction of invasive fishes.

The Axolotl is often studied for its reproduction powers. It is able to regrow limbs if something happens to them. Also its genome was recently published, it has a 32 billion base pair long sequence which is the longest genome found so far.

image by LoKiLeCh