Axolotl
Definition
Noun
1. A feathery-gilled salamander also known as the Mexican walking fish, the axolotl never outgrows its juvenile stage (retaining its external gills through life) and can only briefly survive out of the water. It can regrow almost any lost or damaged body part, including the brain, heart, and spinal cord as well as skin and limbs.
Axolotls make fine pets but it’s best not to handle them more than necessary due to their sensitive skin.
Fun Facts about Axolotls
– Axolotls are named after the Aztec god of fire and lightning, Xolotl, who could take the form of a salamander.
– Most of an axolotl body is made of cartilage, rather than bone.
– Axolotls have both gills (the feathery-looking frills on their heads and bodies) and lungs. The lungs allow them to get oxygen from the air when they reside in oxygen-poor water. They cannot breathe for long on land.
– Axolotls are very sensitive to water quality and cleanliness.
– Axolotls are nocturnal.
– Axolotls feed on snails, worms, crustaceans, and small fish.
– Axolotls are not dangerous to humans but may attack others of their own species.
– Indigenous to the lakes of Mexico City, it is estimated that the wild population of axolotls is now between 50 and 1,000. They live in only two lakes, both in Mexico – Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chaco.